A Cryptid's Dream
by Kallerston
Summary: 4 months after the war with the Alvarez Empire a new era has already begun. After fate brings them together, six mages join together to form a new magic guild in the kingdom of Fiore. However many hurdles lie ahead of them: from bringing fame and fortune to their name, to dealing with the rise of new threats never before seen. Will the guild succeed and prosper? One can only dream.
1. The start of a dream

**Hello denizens of the internet this is Kallerston, proud to present the first chapter of the new story I've been cooking up. **

**I've had this idea in my head for a while and now after months of thinking, planning, drafting and rewriting, the fruits of my labour are ready to be sewn.**

**To anyone who hasn't seen my profile (which let's be fair is probably most of you), I recommend you go there and read the story titled _'A day in the life of Cryptid's'_. While it is not mandatory, each chapter of that story briefly introduces the main characters as well as their designs and an example of their abilities. Alternatively if you only want the designs there is always my DeviantArt account where I have made drawings of them for your convenience.**

**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FAN-FICTION TAKES PLACE AFTER THE EVENTS OF FAIRY TAIL CHAPTER 545 AND EPISODE 328, I.E. AFTER THE END OF THE SERIES! AS SUCH MINOR TO MAJOR SPOILERS WILL BE PROMINENT THROUGHOUT THIS STORY INCLUDING THIS CHAPTER! IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE SERIES AND DO NOT WANT TO GET SPOILED TURN AWAY NOW! ALL OTHERS READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

**So enough with the introductions. I present to you "A Cryptid's Dream" I hope you enjoy it.**

**Note: Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, Kodansha Comics, and A-1 Pictures. Please support the official release.**

* * *

**_"In a land far, far away,__ lies the Kingdom of Fiore. A small peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with magic! Found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace, for most, __magic is merely a tool,__ a __mundane part of everyday life__. For some however, magic is an art, and they have devoted their lives to its practice. These are the mages. Banded together into magical guilds they apply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born... a guide that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name... is __Fairy Tail__."_**

**_"In the not so distant past the Fairy Tail guild went to war against the strongest military nation in the world; the Alvarez Empire. This war brought together the strongest sources of magic from across the globe to the Fiore Kingdom in an event that almost ended all of civilisation, resetting it from the beginning or destroying it completely. However, thanks to Fairy Tail and their allies, Alvarez was defeated along with the deaths of the Black Wizard Zeref and the Dragon King Acnologia. Now four months after the final battle a new era has already begun, and a new era brings new faces, new challenges and new possibilities. For you see this story will not focus on the Fairy Tail guild. Rather this story shall instead focus on another guild, one whose name has yet to ever be muttered even once by this nation. A guild created by six extraordinary individuals, whose power and influence will shape this new era in Fiore's history. Its name… Cryptid's Dream."_**

* * *

_Fire. An inferno of heat and light that incinerates all that comes in contact with its presence, fuelling its self-destructive existence and spreading its influence. These flames of destruction surrounded a nearby city, consuming it and leaving nothing behind but charred remains of what had previously been. The screams of terrified people filled the air as they ran for their lives. Trying to escape this living purgatory that filled the dark of the night._

_Crouched in fear was a small child. A girl with short blue hair wearing a light blue dress, who was coughing as she lay trapped under layers upon layers of fallen wood._

_"Mommy~! Daddy~!" The girl cried out in between coughs from the smoke in the air. She could feel the heat, the pressure, the pain weighing her down to the ground. In her eyes she could see through her tears through thin cracks the whole world burning around her. "Anybody~! Please help!" Her voice grew weary and tired as she saw glimpses of people running away, leaving her to die. "Mommy…Daddy…anybody…help…me…" The girl's voice shrunk down to a whisper. A pitiful sound that no human could hear, as she coughed again, her lungs filling with ash. The girl's eyes grew heavy and her senses dulled. Her face lay down, as she waited for the cold embrace of death to cool her._

_A sandal crunched the nearby ground as a dark silhouette stared at the large pile of wood ahead of them. Taking another step closer they exhaled before taking in a large breath of air. The strength of the silhouette's lungs making the wind blow towards them, causing the tips of the flames to flicker in place before they like the wind, began to get sucked towards the silhouette. Their fleeting light partially illuminating distinct features such as unusually sharp canines, a white scaly scarf flapping in the wind, and the tips of their spiky pink hair._

_The girl opened her eyes, feeling the heat of the fire getting drawn away and the impurities in the air along with them. The sound of inhaling stopped before a series of loud cracks were heard above the girl's head. An immediate weight was lifted off her shoulder's allowing her to look up and see the light of the remaining fires around her. There standing above her was a: dark, spiky haired silhouette throwing away the pieces of wood that once lay on top of her before turning back and looking at her dead in the eye._

_The two remained motionless, silhouetted behind the light of the flames while dying embers flew around them._

* * *

"Mmm~ Hmmm~"

The sleeping murmurs of a dreaming passenger groaned inside a train carriage. Their head resting softly on their shoulder length blue hair, pressed against a nearby window. All of a sudden, the carriage suddenly bumped and shook making the passenger slowly open her eyes before stretching in place and yawning.

"What time is it?" Rebecca _'Beck'_ Flow asked herself as she stared out of the window.

The view from the window showed the vast outside. Tall grey mountains peaked in the distance with miles and miles of greenery rushing by as the train approached an oncoming town.

_"__**The train will terminate at the city of Ash in five minutes. Please gather your items and prepare to leave through the nearest exit.**_" The train's conductor stated over the intercom.

"The city of Ash?" Beck's face stayed still before suddenly puckering, making her eyes became large white circles. "I MISSED MY STOP!"

Beck slammed her face on the table in her booth, groaning in annoyance. When she was done, she slowly picked her face back up only for her nose to be partially squished into her face. Sighing, she pinched the tip of her nose and pulled it back out.

"You know what? This is fine. This was meant to be." Beck rubbed her chin beginning to smile. "I don't think I've ever visited Ash before, I wonder what it's like?"

* * *

Ash, the city in question was located near the west side of the kingdom of Fiore, an area of the kingdom where the world seemed much quieter, where the most exciting things that happened were only read from newspapers. It was peaceful if you liked that sort of thing. However, with peace there must come conflict and in an area this quiet, the erupting conflict is certain to bring a great deal of noise with it. In fact, it has already begun to sound.

In one of the many small homes in the city a newspaper was slowly pushed through a flap on the door, landing with an audible flop on a welcome mat. The newspaper uncurled across the ground revealing a concerning headline on the front page.

**January 18****th**** X793**

**Second mass disappearance discovered in the city of Sage.**

Underneath showed a photograph of the city in question, which showed houses, streets, lamp posts, everything covered in a black powder.

**The Magic Council has released a statement asking people to remain calm as an official investigation into this incident as well as a similar one weeks earlier in the city of Basil has begun.**

The information ended there, enticing people to read further into the paper as pictures of smaller less notable news stories covered smaller areas of the front.

The shuffling of a pair of feet walked over the floor of the house as a thin, wrinkly hand picked up the paper and began to read the front.

"Sage as well. That's not too far from here." The elderly man sighed, scratching the underside of his hairy chin. "Oh well. I can't stand here worrying all day, I'm too old for that."

The man's hand rolled up the newspaper and placed it in a wicker basket held in his other hand as he opened out of the door. Taking a step outside, Kurt Sol took a deep breath through his nose before exiting his house completely and going about his daily routine.

Kurt joined the street of people all walking down towards the same end. All of them barring two; a pair of hooded individuals. One a young man who wore a black cloak fastened to their clothes by a cross shaped broach. The other a little girl who wore an orange hoodie whose face was hidden but not her long bangs of purple hair.

The two made their way through the town, with the black cloaked keeping eye and ear out for anything suspicious. In the back of his mind however his thoughts drifted back to why they were in the city in the first place.

The black cloaked man slowly turned his head towards the orange hooded girl. "Are you sure this city will be attacked next Leben?"

The orange hooded girl nodded, turning to the cloaked man. "Based on the similarities from the previous incidents, the most likely settlement if they were continuing in this pattern would be here in the city of Ash. Do you doubt me father?"

"No, I'm just making sure. And must you keep calling me Father?"

"You prefer me not to call you Zed and since you direct me and care for my wellbeing, Father seems like an appropriate title." Leben explained. "If it is not to your liking would you prefer an alternate title such as Master, or perhaps daddy?"

Zed Pitch sweat dropped under his hood and looked away. "No… Father is fine."

"Okay Father."

Zed sighed refocusing on the task at hand. "And you still haven't picked up any Black magic users so far? Not even something similar like Darkness magic?"

Leben shook her hood covered head. "Not yet Father. In fact, there appear to be very few magic users in this city. Even lacrima is scarce in some areas." Leben looked to Zed. "Have you heard anything?"

"No, not yet. So far everyone we've come across appears to want a similar thing, good health and a quiet life. I suppose that's to be expected from a small city like this." Zed looked left and right at the crowds of everyday people keeping eye and ear out for anything suspicious. In the back of his mind however his thoughts drifted back to why they were in the city in the first place.

* * *

_Zed and Leben stood in a recently deserted night club, looking down on soon to be ex-active criminal Antonio Parson. The scene dated back to around a week ago where Leben had managed to 'convince' Antonio to explain one of his past dealings._

_"A dark guild? Are you absolutely sure?" Zed asked._

_Antonio nodded. "Yeah I'm sure. He was real hush, hush about it. But he let slip that he didn't want his guild mates knowing about our arrangement. Figured no regular guilds would make a deal with me so he has to be from a dark guild, right?"_

_"Is that all?"_

_"Well there was one other thing." Antonio nervously gulped. "The men I sent to do the job… they never came back."_

_"And you didn't question it?"_

_"After hearing about what happened in Sage. I didn't want to risk thinking about it." _

_Zed calmly began to think. "Well you are telling the truth. But the fact that a dark guild is doing this is hard to believe. After Tartarus was defeated in X791 and the Baram alliance collapsed, dark guilds have substantially declined. I thought Avatar was the last major dark guild in Fiore… perhaps this one is relatively new." Zed shook his head before turning to Leben. "We should go Leben, based on this Black practitioner's previous attacks we can only assume they'll target another city soon."_

_"Very well Father." Leben responded as she walked alongside him._

_In the background Antonio got up and turned towards his desk. "Finally. At least it's all o-"_

_Before he could finish a cold, black miasma passed through his body. He went cold, stiff and pale before collapsing onto his face for the second time that night._

_Zed looked at him with his right hand covered in darkness. "Apologies. But we will have to turn you in for your crimes. I'm sure that when you come to, someone will be here to pick you up."_

* * *

Zed slowly focused back on reality focusing on the vast quantity of people in the streets ahead of him.

"Perhaps it's best if we try to narrow our search. I very much doubt our practitioner would just walk around in the open, they'd want to stay somewhere isolated, somewhere quiet where they can remain alone." He explained.

"Understood Father."

Zed held back another sigh and glanced up at the clockface from a large bell tower that overlooked the city from its public square. With his attention somewhere else Zed failed to see someone heading his way, causing the two to bump into each other.

"Hey! Watch we're you're going!" The spiky haired teenager yelled.

Zed turned to see the dark skinned individual, noticing his agitated but not vengeful expression.

"My apologies." Zed calmly spoke as he and Leben walked around the man and back through the oncoming crowd.

Tai Way sneered at the hooded man who had just walked into him before he turned around and kept on walking. His stomach suddenly growled and he placed his hand over his stomach as the hunger pains made him flinch.

"I know. I know. Just hold on a little longer alright." He spoke softly to himself.

It had not been easy for Tai. From the slight muck on his kimono and the amount of dirt under his exposed toenails, it was clear that he hadn't taken care of himself well. He couldn't even remember the last time he ate, the closest was when he was allowed into a pub only to get kicked out for beating up some guy who had it coming. He didn't help himself but Tai didn't regret his decision, though that didn't change the fact that he needed a wash and some food.

As Tai walked around a corner into another street, he passed by a rather large house that stood apart from the other houses by having a visible extra floor of height to it. Inside the tall house another teenager around the same age he was or slightly younger was working hard, tracing his glowing green finger over one of the walls.

"Almost done a~nd… there." Percy Wellcomp's finger dimmed as he took a step away from the wall. "Let's see that's: the hallway, the two living rooms, the three bathrooms, the two guest rooms, the master bedroom and the… and the…" Percy yawned loudly, a sign of his growing exhaustion. "…the… the pantry. That just leaves the basement and the cellar… and the attic… and the…" Percy yawned again.

Walking towards Percy was a man who appeared to be in his mid to late thirties wearing a pink polo shirt and sleek white trousers. Giving him an air of cleanliness and class helped by his blemish free skin and clean blonde hair.

"You okay there? You need a break?" He asked.

"Huh? Um I mean no sir I can carry on just-" Percy yawned again, even louder than previously.

The man just shook his head. "It's okay boy. I'd rather have you fully rested so you can finish my security properly, than have you potentially mess it up in this half-asleep state of yours. Go out into the city for a bit, get some air. It'll do you good."

Percy finished his yawn and slowly turned towards the front door. "If you say so… maybe a break will do me good…" Percy walked outside the door and took a breath of air before walking down the street. Cautiously looking back and forth to make sure nothing bad was going to happen around him. "…right?"

* * *

The piercing sound of a train whistle cut through the air around Ash's train station to signal the arrival and departure of locomotives nearby. Walking out of the station was Beck, casually placing her hands behind her head and puffing out puffs of air repeatedly.

"Okay Beck don't freak out this is just an accidental adventure." Beck suddenly leaned over with a defeated expression on her face. "Oh, who am I kidding dad is gonna kill me. That is if Call doesn't ring me out like a wet towel." Beck straightened her posture and clapped both her hands on her cheeks. "But that's future Beck's problem. Present Beck has some exploring to do."

Despite the major shifts in mood she displayed in the last five seconds, Beck relaxed and began her sightseeing. Despite the rather quaint surroundings Beck showed a high level of interest in everything he eyes gazed upon. From the large clock tower that could be seen above all the other buildings in the city, to the small shops placed here and there filled with nick knacks as well as the occasional magic shop filled with arcane goods to be purchased. Her travels soon took her to a large marketplace set up with a large variety of food stalls. Fresh produce, slow cooked meats, baked pastries, fine cheeses, jars of jams and chutneys and more provided a wide array of smells so pungent that you could almost taste them.

Beck was practically drooling at the yummy foods ahead of her. She walked closer to one of the many stalls when she noticed something that snapped her back to reality; the Jewel price. Reaching into the pocket of her skirt she pulled out two things: a train card that she used to travel to and from locations by train repeatedly and a small amount of money that added up to around 65,000 Jewel.

Beck sighed. "Let's see minus money I'm saving for the guild, general expenses and…cabbages. I should have around 1000 Jewel left. That should be plenty for… for… orrr~"

Beck's gaze was transfixed on one particular food stand's delicacy. Bathed in the glorious light of a dozen heart lamps were several large stew pots. Each one emitting a thick veil of steam that filled the nostrils with mouth-watering smells. Beck walked up towards the alluring food as though she were possessed here eyes aglow as she waited in line to get some. Her time almost came when she finally noticed the price listed as 1700 Jewel.

Beck stopped in place and fell onto her knees in her defeat. "Why world must you be so cruel?"

"What the heck?! It wasn't that pricy yesterday!"

The agitated voice of the person in front of Beck quickly brought her out of her moment of despair to focus on what was happening right in front of her. Taking notice of the spiky red-haired person in front of her and the sheathed katana on his back.

"Well that was yesterday sir. This is the price today, if you're not happy with it you can look elsewhere for your lunch." The woman in charge of the stall explained.

On the other side of it Tai grumbled, tightly clutching the Jewel that he did have in his hand.

"Freakin' cheapskates." Tai whispered harshly under his breath.

Beck stepped in front of Tai with an open outlook about her. "Excuse me sir. I couldn't help but overhear you. Since I was standing behind you and all."

Tai looked at Beck and grunted. "Look I get it you're impatient and want me to move. Just give me a second-"

"How much Jewel have you got for food?" Beck interrupted.

Tai blinked in surprise at Beck's interruption, slowly beginning to answer. "About eight hundred Jewel. Why-?"

"Perfect! You see I only have a thousand Jewel myself but I really want to have some of that stew. So why don't we share one? It won't be as much as getting one for yourself but it's better than nothing. Come on what do you say?"

Tai stood there in silence at the offer the girl in front of him was giving. Typically, people wouldn't even bother to look at him and here this complete stranger was offering to help him buy a meal. Granted it was for her benefit too but her offer seemed sincere and she seemed just as happy to help feed someone else as she was to feed herself.

The woman behind the stall leaned forward. "There's a large line of people here, if you don't order soon then I'm afraid I need to ask you to lea-"

"Just give us a minute!" Beck retorted making her lean back. "Thank you kindly."

Tai snickered. "You're pretty weird but it's not like I'm in any fit state to turn down a meal so sure, we'll split it."

Beck turned back to Tai smiling brightly. "You will? Great! By the way the since we're eating might as well get acquainted. My name's Rebecca but you can just call me Beck. What's yours?"

"Can't honestly remember the last time I've ever had to introduce myself to someone. But the name's Tai."

"Um excuse me but if you're ready to order-" The food vendor began to say.

"We're about to!" The two answered back in unison.

The woman leaned back in shock, stunned by the youthful synchronised energy that these two strangers just exhibited.

"S-Sorry…"

* * *

Zed and Leben had continued their patrol for quite some time and so far, came up with nothing. The two walked along the quieter, emptier pathways close to the outskirts of the city, going at a slow pace to make sure neither of them missed anything.

"Not here either. This is becoming annoying." Zed whispered.

"Father, did you say something of importance?" Leben asked.

"No. Unfortunately." Zed stared down an upcoming alleyway, before closing his eyes for a second. "I can say with certainty that the person we're looking for isn't around here. We need to narrow it down further."

"Without further information, narrowing down a specific location will require estimation and guess work. It will not increase the odds of finding them by much."

"Well it's better than the odds we have at the moment."

Zed led the way into the alley with Leben tailing in his shadow. Making their way halfway down the alley Zed turned and leant his back against one of the house sides around them, taking down his hood to reveal his face at the same time. Leben stood facing him and undid her hood as well revealing her emotionless expression that stared deeply at Zed with her unique eyes.

"It is unlike you to get tired so easily from just walking Father." Leben pointed out.

"I'm not tired, I just need to think." Zed replied looking down at the cobblestone ground. "This black practitioner is somewhere in the city and the longer it takes for us to find them, the longer they have to do to this city what they did to Basil and Sage. I just need some time to think."

The striking memory of the previous cities came back to Zed. Cold, lifeless ghost towns that were covered in black ash that looked as if people had abandoned them centuries ago. He recalled arriving in Sage a couple of days after its incident was reported about, then the same with Basil. Both were too similar to be a coincidence with everything pointing to Ash being next. Yet there was hardly a Rune Knight in sight. That was the problem with the Magic Council, they spent too long waiting for details to show in the light that they forget there are things going on in the darkness. A darkness that only Zed could navigate.

"Have you finished thinking yet?" Leben interrupted.

Zed slowly shifted his eyes up to meet Leben's. "No. Not yet."

"Would it not be more efficient to continue our search rather than standing in this alley. If you are tired than I could continue without your assistance."

Zed straightened his posture and stood away from the wall. "I'm not tired, but I will be if we keep aimlessly navigating the city. We know this assailant would want to stay out of the public eye but we haven't managed to narrow it down any further." Zed looked up towards the sky. "How much longer will this take?"

"To borrow the phrase 'God only knows'." Leben responded.

Zed looked down back down at Leben with a serious expression. "Very funny. But let's be serious for a moment." Zed turned away from Leben and faced the wall, going back into deep thought.

_'I need something. Anything…'_ He thought while he stayed quiet, going into a near meditative trance.

Zed closed his eyes, his world view dimming until it became nothing but black. There was no movement, no energy and no sound as he began to disassociate himself with what was immediately around him. Beginning to listen to the world around him.

_'I'm so hungry. I want to eat.' _ One voice asked for in his head.

_'So sleepy. I want to go to bed.' _Asked another.

_'Please make sure my grandpa gets better.'_

_'Give me the strength to keep going.'_

_'Please let it be sunny tomorrow.'_

_'Help bring a beautiful girl on my path. I'm so lonely.'_

_'Please make sure nothing goes wrong today. Please.'_

So many voices echoed in Zed's head. Each one from a different person and each one asking for something different. The constant demands seemed never ending, enough to drive a regular person mad. But Zed remained still and relaxed in a regular position, not moving an inch or swaying in the breeze. However soon Zed opened his eyes, his posture and expression remaining serious and concerned.

"Still nothing. I'm not used to finding someone in such a public area." Zed spoke softly to himself. "Very well Leben I suppose I can listen to one of your strategies just as long as we don't-"

Zed turned around to find himself all alone. The place where Leben once stood unoccupied, with no remnant that she had even stood there. Zed just clenched his fists and sighed heavily. "Split up. Perfect… Just perfect."

* * *

Walking in the town square, Percy nervously looked around the new unfamiliar environment of the city. Unlike Beck who thrived in exploring the unknown, Percy felt like a fish out of water constantly looking over his shoulder and second guessing every decision he just made.

"Right so I just came from there so… maybe next I should go… there?" Percy pointed in seemingly random directions at specific buildings and streets not sure of where he should go to continue his walk. He turned and looked past the statue in the centre of the square at the clock tower high above everything else in the area. "So it's been seven minutes since I left huh. That's probably enough of a break… probably…"

Turning around Percy slowly walked back towards where he came from, keeping his head low to the ground and staring at his shoes. He rubbed his hands to warm them in the winter chill before placing them in his pockets with his left hand gripped around his red notebook. Feeling a sudden aching sensation in his head Percy pulled his right hand out and began rubbing his temples together. He unintentionally began to slow down as soon his eyes were beginning to sting resulting in him leaving his head alone to massage his eyeballs.

"Ugh… I feel so groggy. This walk didn't even help at all. I should have just carried on working, at least then I could sit down in a chair." Looking around Percy spotted a nearby restaurant and walked closer towards it. "Maybe I can find a place to sit down in there."

Stepping inside the restaurant Percy waited in front of a 'Please wait to be seated sign' and took in the atmosphere. He noticed many people already inside sitting at tables, getting served, waiting for their order or happily tucking away into the food in front of them. The sight of people eating made began to make Percy's mouth go dry and his insides feel empty as he remembered he hadn't eaten or drank much so far in the day.

Soon a waitress appeared in front of Percy, staring at him expectantly. "Do you have a reservation?"

"A reservation?" Percy repeated. "No. I'm afraid I don't. Will that be a problem?"

"I'm afraid so. We're currently fully booked up, with the only tables available being ones that have been reserved for later. I'm sorry but if you will have to come back at a later time if you want to be served."

Percy nodded in understanding. "I understand. Sorry for taking up too much of your time."

"Now just hold on for a minute."

Percy and the waitress turned to the newly opened door seeing Kurt entering the restaurant and making his way towards them.

"Oh, Mr Sol. I thought we had already received our regular delivery from you." The waitress stated.

"You have. This visit is purely for pleasure purposes, I was told that I had a drink on the house waiting for me." Kurt explained.

"We are fully booked right now…" The waitress looked down at a clipboard in her hands that contained a list of reservations. "However, if it's only a drink you want then I suppose we can sit you over at table nine. At least until the party arrives in fifteen minutes."

Kurt smiled at the waitress. "I appreciate the kind gesture madam. I'm sure that is more than enough time for me and my guest."

Kurt patted Percy on the back widening his eyes in surprise. "Your guest?"

"That's what I said didn't I? And people tell me I have wax in my ears."

The waitress stepped aside and gestured to the table. "Please, if you would both follow me."

She walked on ahead with Kurt following close behind her. Percy hesitated briefly for a moment when Kurt turned his head around and gave him a comforting smile, the kind a grandfather would give his grandson.

Percy slowly took a step forward, then another as he made his way to the table. "He's just an old man anyway. I doubt he would really want to do anything bad to me… I hope."

* * *

Breath. A deep suction of air into the lungs providing oxygen as well as other gasses into the body to circulate and provide aerobic respiration. However, this breath was not one filled with air but with smoke, with ash. A man cloaked in darkness took a deep breath of the cigarette pushed against his lips, the light from the bud illuminating him ever so slightly as tiny flakes of ash drifted off towards the ground. Lifting it away the man exhaled a large puff of smoke before forming a toothy grin showcasing his stained yellow teeth gained from his habit.

"Lady Gluttony… soon you, this kingdom and the Nanatsu no Taizai will see my greatness. The greatness denied to me for so long." The man placed the cigarette back in his mouth to take another euphoric breath. "One more. One more city reduced to ashes and then I will be ready to make myself known." The main's grin only widened with the dim light of the bud lighting up his cheek which showcased a guild mark. A purple insignia bearing a resemblance to the number '7' that had a snake's head hissing at the very bottom making it also resemble a flipped letter 'S'. The mark soon disappeared as the light from the cigarette had gone, and the ash began eliminating any remaining traces of light.

* * *

From a more open corner of the city Zed suddenly froze in place. His eyes pupils shrunk as his expression became one of fright and deep concern.

"This feeling… Black magic." Zed looked up, taking a sharp breath before quickly sprinting off in a specific direction, not even caring when his hood flew off his head. "The practitioner is making his move right now!"

* * *

From another more densely crowded area of the city Leben also stopped in place and pulled the hood off her head. The rings in her eyes began expanding and contracting, trying to focus. In Leben's unique vision she could see something, tiny black particles that floated through the air that to anyone other than her were invisible to the naked eye.

"Unique black magic signature detected. Beginning analysis and tracing back to its original source." Leben remained motionless in the street making may people look at her in confusion as she didn't budge. Her mind entirely focused on something greater.

* * *

"Phew. Finally, a place we can sit down." Beck plumped her rear on a nearby bench, happily smiling to herself. "Still I suppose this is karma for making all those people wait so long for us to finally order."

Tai sat down next to her nonchalantly. "Don't waste your time feeling sorry for those people. The fact is if they were in our position, they would have taken their sweet time for just as long as us, if not longer. Believe me."

Beck just sat with the bowl of stew on her lap, warming up her legs. "Yeah, you're probably right. Now let's dig in! Come to mama!" Beck dipped the spoon in the thick broth, scooping up the liquid and food chunks. Blowing on her meal she went to put to in her mouth when her eye was caught by Tai messily shovelling mouthful after mouthful into his mouth. "Someone's hungry. You look like you haven't eaten in days."

Tai glanced towards Beck, momentarily pausing from his lunch. "Well you're not entirely wrong."

Beck tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Tai quickly looked away back at his food. "Never mind. Don't think about it, just eat your food. You just said before we should dig in."

Beck remained unconvinced as she continued looking at Tai. She then began to notice details that one would normally miss from just a short glance: the dirt on his clothes, the unkempt greasiness in his wildly long hair, the way he sat as though he felt an uncomfortably ache in his back. Combined with his low food funds the gears in Beck's mind finally clicked.

"You're homeless, aren't you?" She softly asked.

Tai didn't immediately reply, instead he put his eating spoon to his side on the bench. "…That's none of your business."

Beck slowly reached into her skirt pocket. "I don't mind if you are you know. You seem nice enough, but if you're down on your luck then maybe I can-"

"Don't you dare pity me!" Tai sharply shouted making Beck flinch.

"Pity? What do you mean?"

Tai placed his stew to the side. "A few minutes ago, you saw someone just like you and you offered to split lunch. Now you learn one little thing and suddenly you want to give me money you can't afford to get lose. What the hell kind of logic is that?!" Tai looked down at the cobblestone ground. "You look at me and you see a helpless, grovelling man. Like I'm lower and weaker than you, when I'm not." Tai angrily got to his feet. "I really need to get going."

"Hold on Tai! Wait!" Beck cried out, standing up. "I'm not pitying you I'm just-" Beck sighed. "If you really need to go, then go but… I want to help because it's what I do. I like to help; I'm not looking down on you."

Tai grunted. "Yeah. Right."

As Tai began to head of a small black spec gently floated in front of his face. His eyes traced it fluttering gently to the ground as slowly more and more began to float around him. He looked behind him to see Beck also looking around at the falling specs as they grew to greater and greater numbers.

"What is this? Some kind of black snow?" Beck asked herself. Some of the black specs landed on her skin making her instinctively scratch herself in those areas. "It's kind of itchy, and burny."

While Tai was much more covered up than Beck, he could still feel some black specs brush up against his check or his bare hand. He scrunched up his hands resisting the temptation to itch himself and looked back at Beck.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." He muttered.

"**AAAAAAAAAHH!**"

The sudden scream made the two teenagers present look back towards where they came from, hearing the sounds of terror coming from the food market.

Almost immediately Beck narrowed her eyes and ran off in the direction, leaving Tai and her food behind.

"Hold on a minute! You're heading towards the panic not away from it!" Tai warned.

Beck turned her head back while she ran forward. "I know. But people might need help."

"Save that for the professionals!"

"Who knows how long they'll take to show up?! Until they arrive _somebody _needs to help!"

Beck faced forward picking up speed towards the market while the continually falling black specs blew past her. Standing in place Tai just gritted his teeth while the black specs began to form piles around him.

"How dumb is that girl? Doesn't she realise she'll just get herself killed." His thoughts went back to when she offered to help pay for lunch and offering to help him out, making him clench his fist. "Idiot…"

Beck however was undeterred in the slightest by Tai's words. She ran straight ahead as fast as her legs could carry her before quickly bending them and leaping incredibly high into the air to travel an even greater distance in a shorter time.

"Come on. Come on. Hurry up." Beck told herself.

She landed on her feet in a crouched position and jumped again travelling even higher and even faster. While in the air she looked up at the sky which had significantly darkened as a result of incredibly dark clouds forming overhead that sprinkled down little black specs like snow and light rain.

_'Okay this is weird. I mean it was already weird before but now that I'm actually paying attention it's super weird. What is happening?'_ Beck thought to herself as she began her descent.

The sounds of people fleeing in panic were everywhere and getting progressively louder as Beck fell closer and closer towards the ground. Finally landing on her two feet she looked around to see people running past her and the once lively marketplace growing cold. Beck scratched her exposed arms as more and more black specs fell and she even began to cough as the specs continued to fall.

"The air here. *cough* It feels like I'm breathing in smoke." Beck stated as one man stopped in front of her.

"You've got to get out of here! Or else they'll get you!" The man shouted in a panic.

"Who will get me?" Beck asked.

"**HEEEEELLLLPP!**"

Before she could get an answer the cries of someone bellowing to help interrupted her, making Beck run towards the sound of distress.

"Hey girl what are you doing?! Get away from here!" The man warned.

But Beck didn't listen. Instead a memory appeared in her head. The memory of her dream, of the scared little girl trapped alone in the dark, suffocating to death begging for someone to save her.

"Just hang on… Help is coming…" She whispered to herself.

Jumping once again she lept over the set-up food stalls landing on the other side. Beck's eyes widened at what she saw in front of her and she gasped.

"What the-?"

In front of her were swarms and swarms of people except they didn't seem right. The looked like people but the way they moved made them look like zombies with long heavy strides forward and limp arms that swayed from side to side. One turned their head behind them to see Beck where it revealed yet another odd sight. Their irises and the pupils were a very dark grey almost black, and gave them a blank lifeless leer.

The zombie-like man in front of her gave a low growl alerting all the others that she was there, making them all turn and face her with dead looks.

Beck gulped, clenching her fists and bending her legs. "Okay, I'm not sure who you are but someone needs my help so you better move out of the way. You got that?"

Clearly, they didn't as they all began slowly walking towards her with their arms outstretched. Beck clenched her muscles even tighter and began to feel a well of power build up in her bent, tensed up areas.

"All right. Don't say I didn't warn you." Beck suddenly released the tight pull on her legs. "**Rubber Bullet!**"

Beck shot forward at explosive speeds, her body crashing straight towards the entire wave of people in front of her. But when she collided with them, she tore through their entire bodies splitting them into pieces. Then their bodies slowly blackened and turned into the same black powder that fell from the sky, scattering over the ground.

Beck landed on the other side of the dissolving people before turning back to face them with a confuse look on her face. "Wait?! Those people are made of this black stuff?!"

"**HELP!**"

Beck looked off to the side where the voice came from and finally saw who it belonged to. The very same woman who served them their food minutes earlier, who was now sitting on top of her stall as the black powder people were trying to claw at her from below.

Beck looked at her with a determined look and bent her legs, jumping up into the sky and landing feet first right next to her on top of her stall.

"GAH! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" The food vendor shrieked.

Beck raised her hands defensively. "Easy. Easy. I'm here to help. Now take my hand."

The woman eyed Beck up and down, gasping in realisation. "Wait, weren't you the girl from earlier?"

Beck nodded. "Yup. But now's not the time to reminisce. Come on we've gotta go."

The food vendor was hesitant but soon grabbed Beck's hand with a thankful smile. "Thank you. But how exactly did you get up here any-WAAAAAA!"

Beck leaped into the air, dragging the flailing food vendor by the arm as they wailed with blank, tear streaming eyes.

"Oh right, I didn't tell you. I happen to be a mage. Thanks to my Elasticity magic I can build up lots of elastic potential energy in my muscles whenever I tense them up. Plus, it makes me squishier and stretchier than most people which is pretty neat." Beck explained to the woman with her only response being more screaming and crying.

Soon enough Beck landed on the ground with her body elastic properties allowing her to absorb the shock no problem as she gently let the woman get to her feet.

"Don't worry ma'am you're all safe." Beck proudly declared.

"Th-Th-Thanks…" She muttered as she lowly recovered from her shock. "I was certain this city didn't have any magic guilds. Did you happen to come from a guild outside the city."

In response to the question Beck awkwardly rubbed her head. "Actually, I'm not actually in a guild… I'm actually trying to start one…"

The food vendor just looked at Beck with a disappointed look. "So, you're not actually a mage then."

"Well I am, technically. I'm just an independent one until I get enough funds to start my own guild. Which won't be for a long whi- *cough* *cough*"

Beck and the food vendor both gave deep throaty coughs before clutching their chests with one hand and rubbing their scalps with another.

"Ugh I almost forgot about how irritated I feel." The food vendor moaned.

"Yeah. Now that you're safe we should probably get out of-"

A sudden whirlwind blew in their direction picking up all of the black powder on the ground and swirling it into concentrated blobs. Soon the blobs began to take a more humanoid form and changed colour, transforming into another hoard of zombie-like people right in front of them.

Beck gulped at the sight. "Okay don't worry. I've got this!" Beck pulled her middle finger back, using her thumb to press it closer to her hand and build tension, illuminating the finger with a light blue magic power. "**Elastic Air Pistol!**"

Beck flicked her finger forward, shooting a pressurised air blast at the hoard in front of her that blew a chunk of them away into powder floating in the breeze.

"And there's plenty more where that came from!" Beck cried out prepping another attack.

Another air blast flicked forward chipping down their numbers even more as they struggled to even get close. The food vendor stood behind Beck with a look of awe on her face.

_'This girl may not be in a guild. But her confidence and power make it sure seem like she is.'_ She thought to herself.

With the two of them looking at the people in front of them, neither of them noticed the smaller approaching group from behind. Their dull blank eyes were fixated on the two women while they opened their moths wide to let out quiet groans as they made their approach.

From the front Beck held her pushed middle finger forward. "**Elastic Air Pistol!**"

The air blast pulsed forward, smashing through the powder people and blowing them into dissolving pieces.

"I think I've almost got them all. Just a few more well aimed shots." Beck held her arm out once more still unaware to the oncoming danger from behind her.

Black powder began seeping out of the hoards' open moths and fingertips with the leader reaching their hand out ready to grab the food vendor's shoulder.

The sound of fast-paced thudding and sights of sandals dashing over cobblestone quickly approached from the background as a spiky haired silhouette lunged forward, with their ponytail flapping in the wind and their polished katana reflecting light onto their body.

"Watch your back!" Tai screamed from above.

Beck and the food vendor impulsively turned around to see the group of men ready to ambush them and Tai quickly falling at them. His sword glistened in the daylight slowly beginning to reflect more and more of it and shining even brighter. The light that was reflected took form around the blade becoming just as sharp as it and growing even longer and sharper than the katana itself.

"**Mirror Cloaked Bright Blade!**"

Tai swung his blade down hard slicing through any zombie-like men under its blade and created a powerful shockwave that dusted any remaining stragglers.

Beck blinked in shock. "Tai!"

Tai's gaze looked over Beck's shoulder at the remaining group Beck had started fighting. "Get down right now!" Tai held his sword outwards from him, tilting it so the edge faced the two women.

Getting the hint, the two women ducked to leave the attacking group wide open, as Tai swung his blade horizontally.

"**Mirror Cloaked Reflection Slash!**"

A wide, sharp crescent of light reflected off the katana towards the hoard at the speed of light. In an instant the remaining hoard was sliced in half deteriorating into darkness.

With the threat passed Tai calmly exhaled and slowly sheathed his sword back into his sheath. "Phew that was close. With his sword sheathed Tai looked up to see Beck right in his face with sparkling eyes. "Huh?! Why are you that close to me?! Haven't you heard of personal space?!"

"Wow. You didn't tell me you could use light magic! And you enchanted your sword with it, wo~w!" Beck fangirled making Tai sweat drop.

"Okay two things. One I wasn't enchanting my sword with light magic, I use Reflection magic. It's a Holder Type magic that requires a reflective surface i.e. my sword. And secondly-" Tai banged his fist against Beck's head. "What the hell were you thinking?! Another second and you could have been dead! Have you got something wrong with your head or what?!"

Beck rubbed her head unfazed. "Hey! What I do is my choice not yours so don't judge me! And if it was so dumb how come you came here huh?"

"Because I-!" Tai stopped himself before he could finish. He stared at Beck and his expression slowly went from annoyance to sombre. "Let's just say I have a personal rule. If you face someone you have to treat them like you would want to be treated, like they were you. They're your equal your… reflection. So, when I see people treat others like crap, like they're somehow better than them while staring them straight in the eye, it pisses me off. But you… you offered to buy me lunch despite not knowing me. You charged head first into danger to risk your own life just to save someone else's. And I couldn't turn away so by my own twisted logic that meant I have to give you a hand."

Beck and Tai just continued to stare at each other in silence taking in what Tai said. Eventually Beck put her clasped her hands behind her back and smiled at Tai.

"Well I think that's really noble Tai. You're a really great guy and you deserve better, so when this is over let me help you. Not out of pity but out of kindness, what do you say?" Beck happily asked.

Tai just turned away and tutted. "I told you before, I don't accept pity or favours. I expect people to treat each other the same, that means no handouts."

"Well it wouldn't have to be a handout. You can use magic right and I can use magic so maybe you can help me start something, a dream of mine."

Tai looked back at Beck, curiosity overcoming him. "And what exactly is that?"

"Um excuse me." The food vendor interrupted right when Beck was about to answer.

Beck turned back to the food vendor with an annoyed look. "Hey I was about to ask something very important! Why did you interrupt me?!"

The food vendor didn't reply instead she point ahead where another larger wave of blank eyed people was heading their way, growling as with their arms stretched out and the mouths wide open.

"…Oh. Kinda forgot about them for a moment." Beck deadpanned.

Tai stepped forward drawing his katana. "Whatever you were spouting just now, save it for later. Right now, let's just focus on getting the hell out of here."

Beck smiled in response tightening her muscles and getting into a fighting pose. "OK! Let's do this!"

The two magic users stood ready to stand their ground as the hoard approached, ready to take each other down on the black speckled earth.

* * *

On the other side of the city Kurt and Percy were sitting on opposite sides of a table lit by candlelight. In front of each of them was a cup of tea served in a white, detailed cup that rested on an equally white and equally detailed saucer. Percy kept his eyes on his drink, keeping his gaze low and away from the elderly stranger sat with him. Kurt on the other hand picked up his cup with a clink letting the steam rise above his face. Blowing it gently, the liquid inside rippled while the steam began to flicker like a dying flame in the wind.

Kurt's eyes looked up from his drink to Percy looking at his. "Well, aren't you going to drink? It'll be a waste of the kind offer we've been given if you don't at least take a sip."

Percy flinched in surprise from being talked to, nervously grabbing his drink in response. "R-Right! Sorry…"

Percy's grip was wobbly, causing the cup to shake in his hands and spill drops of tea on the table cloth. Kurt saw his nervous disposition and gently lowered his cup back into his saucer before cupping both his hands around Percy's to settle his cup.

"There you see. Tea is so much easier to drink when your mind is as still as the brew." He calmly explained.

True to his word Kurt's tough, partially wrinkled hands comforted Percy allowing him to calm down and steady his hands.

"…Thank you, sir. I'm sorry I just have a lot on my mind." Percy met Kurt's eye contact for the first time. "It's sort of funny. I actually came out here to take a break and relax and here I am more stressed than before."

Kurt pushed Percy's cup back into his saucer and pulled away his hands. "You have no need to apologise to me young man. One never needs to apologise to someone else for worrying, if anything people must apologise to them for making them worry in the first place."

"Oh no-no! I'm not stressed because of you… Well maybe I was at first but-" Percy sighed. "I'm just tired and scared that I'm going to let people down. A lot of people count on me." Percy reached into his blazer pocket to pull out his red notebook. "You see… my full name is Percy Wellcomp. As in Wellcomp magic security."

"Oh, I recognise that name. I remember hearing about them back when I was a young man. Well younger man anyway." Kurt interrupted. "So, are you some kind of door to door salesman selling security systems?"

"No, not exactly. I suppose me, my older sister and I guess my older brother, well at least before he left and joined a magic guild somewhere. We provide a more personal service to particular wealthy clients. You see I may not look like it but I happen to be a mage. A mage with a very special magic passed down my family… Trap Enchantment magic."

"Trap Enchantment you say…" Kurt once again placed his hands around his cup. "I have heard of many forms of magic in my day but that is a new one."

"That's because only members of my family can use it. Unlike most trap magic that just places a seal or magic circle on the ground, my magic can enchant anything, turning it into a booby trap. Floors, doors, even valuable items can be enchanted so that only the owner can touch and hold them. That's the other thing, it can specify targets to be immune or susceptible to activating the trap. But…" Percy opened his notebook showcasing the incantations and instructions on how to perform each spell. "I can only remember the basics, I need this notebook to help me double check what I do know, and tell me how to do the more advanced stuff and even then I can't do all of it." Percy put his notebook away. "And the worst part is… I don't even like doing it. But I don't know what I do like doing and I can't just do nothing, I'm just- Gah! I don't even know! I don't even know why I'm telling you this either! You're a stranger I just met!"

Kurt saw the struggling Percy and remained quiet, not saying anything until he was sure Percy had finished speaking before smiling. "I don't what being strangers has to do with it. You were a stranger and I invited you to tea. Tea that you still haven't sipped yet." Kurt lifted his cup up and took a satisfying sip of his own brew. "_Aaah~_ Now that is refreshing."

Percy looked at his tea and the stains that were scattered around I before picking it up with a much steadier grip and taking a gulp from it. "Hey you're right. It is kind of refreshing."

Kurt kept his smile at Percy's response. "Let me tell you a secret of my own Percy. Not even I know what I want to do with my life. Even at my age I'm still not sure what I want to do with myself. It is not a pleasant feeling but it does remind me of one important thing."

"And what's that?"

Kurt finished drinking his tea and placed the cup on the saucer. "That you should keep an open mind and keep pushing forward. Even if you can only take one step in a week, that is still one step further than if you never moved at all. Life is not a race and someday you will figure things out." Kurt stood up, getting out of his seat. "Until then cherish each day as it comes and take everything you can get from it. Take just now where today I had a lovely cup of tea with a complete stranger and was rewarded with one of life's greatest pleasures."

Percy got up from his own seat, neatly pushing it under the table. "Thank you for inviting me for tea mister…?"

"Kurt. Kurt Sol. And I should be thanking you for the pleasant company."

"Yeah and I'm Percy… although I already told you that."

"There is no harm to share your name multiple times. Believe me, with my memory I appreciate the reminder every now and again."

The two walked ahead towards the door when Kurt suddenly stopped in place, going as still as a statue.

"Um… Kurt. Why did you-? Did you-?" Percy looked around Kurt to see what he was seeing, readjusting his glasses to make sure what he was seeing was actually happening.

Outside the windows of the restaurant they could see black specs gently falling down over the town square. Anyone who was outside was either mesmerised by the surprise weather or attempting to carry on with their regular life only to suffer from extreme bodily irritation or go into intense coughing fits.

Percy pulled out his handkerchief, rubbing the corner of it against the glass's lenses. Putting his glasses back on Percy stared at the outside once again in disbelief. "What is that? Coal dust from the train maybe? No that couldn't possibly be it."

"Percy." Kurt huskily uttered. "Stay inside. I'm going to go out and see what this is all about."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea though? What if it's dangerous?" Percy frantically asked.

Kurt didn't look back and show his serious face since he didn't want to frighten Percy any further. Instead he slowly walked towards the door. "Don't worry about me, did I not tell you? Back in my prime I used to be an S-Class guild mage."

Percy's mouth widened in surprise right as Kurt went through the door. "He's… an S-Class mage?"

Outside Kurt stood under the roof of the restaurant protecting him from at least direct contact from the black specs.

Kurt sniffed the air and grumbled. "The air feels thick and this smell…soot? Ash? But its colour is too dark. Still this magic I feel, it feels cold and vile in nature."

Kurt stroked his beard while he thought, noticing that throughout the crowds of struggling people there was a large group of them together that didn't seem to react to the ash. They weren't coughing or scratching at all, instead they were as stiff as a board unresponsive.

The door opened to his side catching his attention to see Percy walk out. "Percy? I thought I told you to stay inside."

"You did but I can't afford to wait around, I have a job I need to finish. So, if it's nothing then I really need to go." Percy explained.

"And if it isn't nothing?"

"Well if it isn't… I can't imagine anywhere safer than the presence of and S-Class mage." Percy reasoning while sincere also seemed unsure. Clearly, he was starting to worry and, in his mind, the best place to be was with the stranger that was able to keep him calm.

Kurt looked at Percy with a serious expression. "Look Percy I don't know what is happening right now. Nothing like this has happened since I've moved to this city years ago. All I do know is that from my experience it's best for civilians to stay inside and stay sa-"

"**AAAAAAHHHH!**"

Screams began to fill the city square shocking Kurt and Percy. The two stared at square to see the same once still people from before going on a rampage. Many were running for their lives and those unfortunate to be too close to the hoards were dragged kicking and screaming into large piles of them that pulled them in close and obscuring them inside their numbers.

"Is this some sort of an attack?!" Percy cried out.

Kurt narrowed his eyes, walking forwards. "I am not sure. But what I am sure about is that these people and this weather are connected."

"Wait hold on! I know you said you were S-Class but that was years ago and there's so many of them. Are you sure you can beat them all?"

As Percy's cries of concern went out, several men walked closer to Kurt. Their eyes grey and blank and their movements sluggish and zombie-like.

Kurt just smiled and clapped his hands. "Beat them? Why would I waste so much energy doing something like that?" He slowly pulled his hands away revealing a sticky, pale yellow, waxy substance covering his hands. "When it would be so much easier to just contain them."

Kurt raised his hands up above his head where the waxy gel began to grow in size and become a large sticky blob that he threw outwards.

"**Wax-Make: Sticky Trap!**"

The wax blob suddenly split apart into several smaller blobs that splatted against the attackers, pinning them against the ground unable to free themselves from the sticky substance.

From under the restaurant roof Percy gaped. "Wax-Make… He uses molding magic?"

Kurt walked towards one of the trapped men kneeling down to get to their level. "Now then. Since I'm sure you'd much rather want to speak to an old man like me than a Rune Knight, why don't you tell me; who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man opened his mouth wide and gave a quiet groan before his body began to go black and form black specs that fell to the ground or remained stuck to the wax spell. Kurt kept a stoic expression as he placed his middle and fore fingers into the pile and rubbed his fingers.

"This is definitely ash but to have it move on its own that freely. Not even moulding magic could accomplish that." Kurt suddenly began to feel his fingers began to get irritated and felt a stinging, burning sensation. Creating wax in his other hand he rubbed it over his fingers to wipe away the ash and place it on the ground, though a slight stinging sensation remained. "This is no regular ash magic."

Getting onto his feet Kurt noticed that the other ash people he incapacitated had also returned to ash. An ill wind blew around him and ash began to whirl together into another small group of people all around Kurt, surrounding him.

"So as soon as these ones turned to ash, more take their place." Kurt analysed clapping his hands once again. "You know I really was enjoying my retirement. **Wax-Make: Floor!**"

Kurt slammed his hands over the ground, covering it in a slippery layer of wax that made the ash people struggle to stay on their feet. Kurt ran towards the closest one near him surrounding his hands in wax and knocking it over with a palm strike. Clapping his hands together he spun around and thrusted his arms at the next out at the next ash person, while opening up his hands.

"**Wax-Make: Stream!**" A concentrated stream of wax pumped out of his hands as though they were a hose nozzle, washing over the ash person to send them down onto the floor stuck under the wax's weight.

Noticing the two approaching from his sides he clapped his hands again before punching the ground. "**Wax-Make: Candlestick!**"

The ground under each of the attackers rumbled slightly right before a column of wax erupted from underneath them. Both columns rammed themselves into their respective attacks' chest, the column going deep enough that each of their back's bulged as their insides were pushed that far in. Granted their insides were nothing but grains of ash.

Kurt relaxed as around him his attacks slowly disintegrated to ash. Taking a moment, he took a deep breath in and out when his eyes widened and he suddenly clutched his chest. He loudly started coughing, unable to stop once he had started.

_'This burning sensation in my chest. This dry feeling at the back of my throat. I must have inhaled too much of this ash.'_ Kurt realised.

Putting his fist against his mouth he tried clearing his airways and slowly the pain was getting better. But as he stood now, he was completely incapacitated leaving him open as ash suddenly began to get picked up and glide towards Kurt. Taking form in mid-air the ash become a man with his hand stretched out and his fingers pulled back, his fingernails ready to slash at him as black ash seeped out from under them. Kurt turned to face him but was forced to cough, his only defence being to raise his other arm to take the attack for him.

The man foot reached the ground in front of him providing leverage for him to lunge forward and attack… when it glowed bright green. As though time slowed down Kurt noticed the green glow and noticed in the corner of his eye Percy standing to the side with a handkerchief over his mouth and his right forefinger glowing green.

_'I made this trap in a rush and without double checking my notes so it probably isn't too good. Against a regular person it wouldn't do much good, but-'_

Percy thought back to Kurt taking down everyone and how when they were defeated, they were turned into ash.

_'If these things are really made of this black dust. Then it won't take much to break them!'_

A second finally passed and the ground under the grey eyed attacker suddenly detonated in a green magic explosion. While the force was about as strong as a firecracker it was enough to completely blow his foot and lower leg off. The man's mouth widened to let out a silent scream as he slowly turned to ash and fell to the wax coated ground from the ground up, the last thing disintegrating being his clawed hand which fell apart inches from Kurt's face.

With a brief moment of peace Kurt finally managed to clear his throat. "You know for a young man who worries a lot, you're pretty good in a pinch."

Percy stared at Kurt with a reserved look. "Believe me that only worked because he wasn't actually a human. Besides if my brother or sister here they would have done it much faster and better."

Kurt walked over and put a supportive hand on Percy's shoulder. "What does it matter if there are people who could have done it better? They're not, here are they? All that matters is that when I was in trouble you were the one that saved me. Not your brother or your sister but you. You saved me Percy."

Percy blinked not sure of what to say. Deep inside he was beginning to feel a warm, happy sensation much more powerful than any thanks he had received when he had finished enchanting a house. Before he could think more on these feelings though, large piles of ash began to form into the air around the two of them, slowly forming into large blobs.

"Now the time for words is over. Can I count on you Percy?" Kurt sincerely asked.

Percy paused but nodded affirmably. "Yeah. You can."

The two got ready by applying wax over their hands or preparing a glowing green finger to inscribe an enchantment as the two stood side by side.

"**Deconstruction.**"

The blobs of ash suddenly began growing a bright blue, breaking apart and breaking down until it vanished from existence leaving no trace. Walking up to Kurt and Percy through the falling black ash was their unlikely saviour, a little girl.

"This area is highly dangerous. If you remain here very longer your health and wellbeing may be put in jeopardy. The best course of action would be for you to leave immediately and seek shelter and safety." Leben logically explained to the two.

Percy and Kurt just looked at the purple haired girl with confusion. On her sudden appearance, the fact that she just saved them, how she saved them, her odd eyes. These were some of the many questions that went through Percy's head.

"I-? Huh-? Did you just… get rid of them?" Percy asked.

Leben nodded. "Indeed. I deconstructed the present black magic into its primary elements, nullifying it."

"Black magic? How can you tell?" Kurt asked.

"I cannot afford to share that information. My Father has instructed me that due to the nature of what I can do, it is dangerous for me to inform unknown individuals of it." Leben answered.

"Your father told you this?" Percy asked while he was still trying to figure things out.

"That is what I have just told you is it not."

"And just where is your father?" Kurt asked.

Leben blinked. "I do not know. I left him to improve the odds of finding a black practitioner in the city. I would assume that given what is happening all over the city he is likely attempting to find this practitioner as we speak."

Percy and Kurt just continued looking at Leben who stared back at them with emotionless eyes. Despite their difference in age and backgrounds they both shared the same thought… What was going on today?

* * *

"**Elastic Air Pistol!**"

"**Mirror Cloaked Reflection Slash!**"

Pressurised air and razor sharp light broke through another wave of ash people, clearing a temporary path for Beck, Tai and their food provider to get through.

"This way *cough* we won't have long before they come back *cough*." Beck warned.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming *cough* *cough*." Tai walked forward keeping a close eye on his katana. It's light slowly dimming and its reflected length and sharpness falling as a result. Tai gritted his teeth and looked downwards the sky seeing the dark grey clouds getting darker as black specs continued to fall.

_'Damn it those clouds are blocking out the sun. Since I can only reflect light instead of generate it, I'm getting weaker by the second.'_ Tai was interrupted by his thoughts by a sudden urge to cough that came over him. _'Plus, it doesn't help that my insides feel like crap and my outsides feel like I'm burning in hellfire. What the hell is this stuff?'_

Beck looked behind her seeing Tai close behind her but the food vendor lagging behind. "Hey lady are you alright?"

"…" The lady couldn't respond.

In truth she probably felt just as bad as Beck and Tai if not worse. Unlike a mage's body's which gains a small resistance to magic due to the power constantly flowing through their bodies, regular people who are only used to trace amounts of Ethernano in the atmosphere suffer the full effect. At this point the woman's breath was hoarse and the irritating, burning sensation was still going strong but she so weak and tired that it provided a merciful numbness to it all. But as it stood, she was not in fact alright.

Beck noticed her struggling and slowed down, turning around to fully face Tai. "Hold on a minute. She needs help back there."

Tai heard Beck's request and was ready to go back when his eyes widened. Behind Beck, ash began swirling around taking form into another person ready to fight.

"Move it!" Tai warned running straight for Beck.

The ash formed into a person right as Beck turned to face him. Going for a scratch Beck quickly bounced up high into the air making him miss and leaving him open to Tai slicing them in half. The disintegrated back into ash right as Beck landed on the ground, leaving her confused.

"Huh? Just the one this time. That's strange." Beck pointed out.

"Yeah, that is strange. Why would only one pop up unless…" Tai gasped. "It was a distraction."

Tai quickly looked back at the food vendor with Beck quickly realising what Tai meant and doing the same. They turned to see her still there on her own, with no potential ash people in sight. She looked up at the two gasping for air with a confused look on her face.

"Why have… you both stopped? Is something-?"

Hidden away a mysterious mouth opened wide to form a wicked smile, letting a lit cigarette fall out of their mouth. Landing softly on the ground, the lit end partially rebounded upward as the light from its fire began to create flickering sparks in the air suddenly igniting the black specs all around it. A chain reaction of explosions went off at blazing speeds igniting all the black ash in a series of explosions that reached the food vendor. Beck and Tai's eyes were monetarily illuminated by the rising flames, giving them just enough time to see the woman staring at them completely unaware. Less than second later the flames reached her engulfing her and making the area around her erupt in a fiery explosion. The hot winds blew black ash into the air and made Beck and Tai brace themselves as their feet were partially pushed back.

The hot winds ended letting Beck and Tai unbrace themselves and witness the destruction first hand. The area where the woman once stood was completely charred black any stalls nearby were either knocked over or blown to pieces. The two teenagers were speechless as they couldn't believe the murder they just witnessed when the sound of crunching started coming towards them.

"So, you two were the ones who tried to deny me my glory. Well _at least_ you two."

A gruff male voice accompanied the sound of crunching as a malicious stranger came into Beck and Tai's view.

The man had fair skin and long black hair that flowed underneath a white fedora with a black stripe. He stared at Beck and Tai with dark blue eyes showing a sadistic grin that showcased his teeth that were stained a pale yellow due to his smoking. He wore a white shirt that was covered in vast amounts of ash that it almost looked light grey especially at the ends of the sleeves which looked black with ash. Despite that the rest of his attire weirdly spotless and included a violet tie, grey dress trousers and black dress shoes. But the most notable feature was the purple tattoo on his right cheek that looked like the number seven, that extended at the bottom to form the head of a snake.

The man shook his head. "To think the first people, I would come face to face with would be a couple of kids. Hardly the attention I deserve."

Tai tightened the grip on his katana and gritted his teeth. "You bastard." He hissed.

Beck just gaped in shock, clasping her hands over her mouth. "That woman… you just…"

"What you mean that?" The man gestured the scorch mark behind him by pointing at it with his thumb. "If you're so worried about her, then don't worry. I'll bring her back right now."

Not sure of what he meant, Beck and Tai didn't have much time to think about it as he flicked his wrist up making the black mark float above the ground and slowly take form. Becoming more humanoid and taking more familiar features. When they finished forming Beck and Tai couldn't believe their eyes. From the ashes rose the food vendor except something was wrong. Her slouched posture, the quiet groans that escaped her mouth and her eyes becoming dull, grey and lifeless.

The grinning man just chuckled. "See. There she is, good as new. If not better."

It took a moment for it to hit Beck but when it did, she gasped and she felt her body go cold and stiff for a second. "W-Wait. If you brought her back from her ashes does that mean…?"

Beck's thoughts trailed back to all of the countless people appearing, that she and Tai had defeated one by one. Charging through them, blowing them away, stabbing them, slicing them. It dawned on Beck that they weren't simple creations, they were people. Or at least they _were_ people.

The man chuckled. "Yeah my Cremation magic really is something huh. With it I basically hold life and death in my very hands. Pretty amazing right."

"Amazing…" Tai hissed, the grip on his katana so tight that blood vessels were beginning to show under his skin. "You just killed an innocent woman in cold blood. No, you've killed much more haven't you?" Tai pointed the tip of his sword in the man's direction. "Haven't you?!"

The cremation mage shrugged his shoulders. "And what if I have? They were necessary sacrifices to build up my numbers."

Beck slowly managed to recover from the shock just enough to hear the last of his words. "Your numbers? What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, isn't it obvious. Cities like this are small fry, but even small fry can be useful when you have enough of them. Because after I'm done with this place…I'll have an army big enough to take this whole damn country for myself. And for every city I turn to ash, I get a few more thousand soldiers to add to my forces." The man raised a finger and waggled it in front of Beck and Tai. "Soon everyone will be bowing down in awe of the powerful Zor Bosch! Commander of the dead! And the greatest mage of all time!"

Zor lifted his head and cackled maniacally, a twisted smile plastered on his face the entire time. The sight of which making Beck and Tai sick to their stomachs.

"This guy's insane!" Tai yelled.

"Yeah, he is…" Beck whispered, clenching her own fist. "He needs to pay for this."

Zor lowered his head back down to see the two young mages and raised his hands, coating them in black ashes. "It's a shame really. The first two people who have witnessed my awesome power in person and they'll die before the get the chance to see me take over. Oh well, at least you'll make good servants."

Zor clawed his hand sweeping it in an underarm throwing fashion, sending forward a massive cloud of black ash in a fast-moving burst. Reacting quickly Beck stepped in front of Tai and pulled her middle finger back.

"**Elastic Air Pistol!**" Beck flicked her finger forward, shooting a blast of air that blew the ash over to the sides.

"So, I guess we're fighting this guy then?" Tai looked towards Beck.

"Something tells me we don't have a choice." Beck answered back while the ash cleared, showing Zor preparing another attack.

"Good! The way he kept going on about how he was better than everyone else really started to tick me off!" Tai quickly held his blade so that the wide blunt side face Zor. "Cover your eyes!"

Beck nodded in confirmation and closed her eyes tightly shut, allowing Tai to start making his katana shine.

"**Flashback!**" Tai's katana reflected all the light in the area out in a wide radius, blinding Zor with its powerful rays.

"Dammit. I hate it when light gets in my eyes." Zor complained covering his burning eyes with his hands.

Tai's spell faded with him and Beck unharmed unlike Zor who was seeing blotches in his vision from exposure to the brightness.

"Make him pay!" Tai ordered.

Beck opened her eyes and got into a runner's starting position. "On it! **Rubber Bullet!**"

Beck lunged at Zor at shocking speeds only for him to smirk. When Beck's head rammed itself into his stomach Beck passed right through him just like she did through his ash victims. Beck landed and turned back to see Zor's bottom half had become black ash that was keeping his top half levitating above the ground.

"Nice try kid. But those kinds of tricks won't work on me!" Zor flew through the air towards Beck with his right hand reached forward and seeping with black ash.

Beck flicked her finger forward with another **Elastic Air Pistol**, making a hole straight through Zor's chest that soon filled itself back in as he closes the gap. With his finger's inches away a crescent of light sliced through the air and sliced his arm off, turning to ash before it hit the ground. Zor clenched his teeth and looked at his severed stump of an arm giving Beck an opportunity to tightened her fist and pull back her arm.

_'He's distracted. Now's my chance!' _Beck quickly realised.

Beck felt the energy surge into her tightened biceps and threw an elastically enhanced punch that ripped through Zor's stomach out of his back.

Beck gasped as she struggled to remove her hand while Zor faced Beck and gave her a toothy grin. "Don't waste your breath. Have some of mine! **Smoker's Breath!**"

Zor puffed out a large cloud of black ash in front of Beck's face. The stinging, burning sensation of the ash on her skin and in her synesis made her cough and splutter uncontrollably as her hand dislodged from Zor's stomach and she fell onto her knees, struggling to breath.

Zor reformed his lower half and reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette lighter, flicking the top off. "With all the ash on your clothes, your skin and in your lungs a single spark should set you off like a bomb. And if not… well for your sake let's hope it does."

Massaging his thumb on the lighter's sparkwheel he watched Beck unable to stand as she spluttered and choked on the ash inside her body. With both the passive amount that had been falling on her from the sky and the extra from Zor and his servants she could barely inhale properly.

"Don't forget about me you bastard!" Tai yelled as he leaped forward with his katana reflecting light. "**Mirror Cloaked Bright Blade!**"

Tai swung his katana hoping to slice through Zor's neck only for the light to fade at the last moment. Tai's pupils shrunk and he gasped seeing his blade did in fact go through something… the food vendor's ash body. Her as body embedded itself over the blade preventing any light from passing through herself to get reflected by it. As her body slowly fell away, Zor shifted his eyes to look Tai in the eye as he clicked the lighter.

"Too slow kid." Zor taunted lighting a spark.

The light from the sudden ignition began to glow in the air, igniting the trace amounts of ash. The light slowly began sparking towards Beck preparing to ignite her body when the light suddenly dimmed and faded into approaching darkness. Shade was casted over Zor's body surprising him and making him turn his head only to be slugged in the face by a dense black fist. Zor's body fell through the air landing hard on his back a fair distance away.

With a hand on her throat Beck looked up towards her saviour. Dispelling the light with his presence, his black cloak fluttered in the wind. Her saviour looked down to see Beck on the ground allowing his green eyes to meet with her blue ones.

"Stay down. Leave the rest to me." Zed said in a cold, calm voice. He turned his head to Tai and the final moments of the food vendor before her body fully became ash that lay dormant on the ground. "I'm sorry… I wasn't fast enough to save you…"

Zor used his right hand to massage the guild mark on his cheek while he pushed himself back to his feet with his left.

"Huh? _Another kid?_ What, did school let you all out early or something?" Zor chuckled.

Tai held his katana evenly in front of him before beginning to go in a coughing fit and lowering his guard.

Zed calmly walked past him. "Do not interfere, you will only kill yourself in the state you're in now."

"Hey who asked you any-?" Tai was unable to finish as he began coughing moments later.

With Beck and Tai incapacitated and exhausted, Zed glared daggers at Zor. A thick black miasma slowly surrounding him. "So, you're the one who committed those atrocities in Sage and Basil. Taking innocent lives and using their remains as part of your sick plans. You truly are without any virtue."

Zor casually put his hands in his pockets, smiling at Zed with his stained teeth on show. "Wow you've really done your homework kiddo. To think I haven't even revealed myself to the public eye yet and old Zor has already gotten himself a number one fan."

"I am the furthest thing from a fan after all that I know. Now it's time your insane plans come to an end!" Zed answered furiously sending the miasma out in a wave.

Zor's lower half became a pressurised pulse of ash that rocketed him towards the sky, avoiding the noxious air. "So, you use black magic too? You really are a fanboy to be using the same element of magic as me. Of course, there's no room at the top for two." Zor raised his arms skyward, generating a black cloud of ash from his palms that swirled over his head like a raging whirlpool. "Sorry kiddo but comparing our magic is like comparing a mere man to a God! Now bow before me before you meet your end! **Black Nimbus!**"

Zor thrusted his arms down making the black ash cloud expand outwards as it quickly floated down towards the ground. Darkening the surrounding area, Tai looked down at his blade struggling to see any reflection at all.

_'Crap! It's too dark to use my magic.'_ Tai thought.

Slowly regaining some control of her breath Beck looked forwards at Zed who seemed completely still at the approaching spell.

"*cough* Look out! *cough* *cough*" Beck warned.

Zed green eyes calmly looked up at the approaching cremation spell. "I had hoped that Leben could be here to assist but no matter. I should be able to handle this alone."

All light around Zed dimmed to darkness right when the black cloud crushed his body under its weight. The ash spread out so thickly and so widely that Zed could no longer be seen through it, leaving his fate presumed to be the worst. Beck and Tai's eyes widened as the ash hovered over the ground rushing towards the two of them. Closing their eyes, they prepared for the incoming attack and braced themselves…when nothing came. Instead all they heard was a peculiar sound. Slurping.

Opening their eyes, they witnessed the black ash cloud no longer expanding but instead contracting. Even ash floating in the air and resting on the ground was getting sucked inwards like a vacuum, moving towards a condensed point in the eye of the cloud. From above Zor descended and landed on top of one of the intact stands, the peculiar sight he was witnessing in front of him making his grin lower into a concerned frown. More and more of the ash was disappearing, until eventually enough had disappeared to show the cause of the disappearance. Standing with his mouth wide was Zed, eating the black magic and slurping each grain of ash down his throat like sherbet.

Beck awed Zed as a memory flashed in her mind, mimicking the two silhouettes staring each other from her dream. _'He's eating magic?! Then that must mean he's…!'_

The last of the black specs went down Zed's gullet, as he sighed in relief and rubbed his sleeve against his lips. "Revolting. But that taste…" A memory went by in Zed's mind of wiping ash of the window in a ruined city and tasting it. "Now I have no doubts. You are the black practioner I have been searching for!"

Zed moved his arms in a circular fashion, crossing them and placing his middle and fore fingers on his forehead with one hand and pointed towards Zor with another. Before Zor could respond to Zed he felt a swell of power above his head that made him feel cold.

"**Black God's Cruel Smite!**"

A wicked column of Black magic crashed on top of Zor, crushing him under an immense concentration of darkness that destroyed the stall he stood on.

Tai looked on at Zed, staring at the slowly disappearing blackness. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"A slayer *cough*…" Beck answered getting to her feet. "A mage who has been enchanted with the properties of a greater being. In that guy's case a God."

"A God?" Tai looked over at Beck. "How do you know all that?"

Beck gave a weak smile. "I guess you could say… I owe my life to one."

With the column of darkness slowly fading in the light Zed stared at the wreckage he caused, unable to see Zor anywhere. All that remained of the man were black ashes scattered around the impact site. Ashes that were slowly being picked up on a light breeze, blowing them above Zed's head where out of his field of vision they began to swarm together and thicken into Zor's upper body.

_'Damn brat! He's immune to my magic so what?'_ Zor brought reached his arms out and flexed his hands behind Zed's neck. _'There's more than one way to suffocate someone_. _Once I wrap my hands around him, I won't stop until he's-'_

Zed turned around, grabbing Zor's arm before he could finish his thought. "Was that really the best idea you could have come up with?"

Zor's arm quickly turned back into ash causing Zed's grip to pass through him while he quickly ascended towards the sky. "Phew close one good thing he can't touch my ash-" Zor suddenly felt his body go stiff feeling an inescapable force pulling him back towards the ground. Looking back down he could see the ashes falling from his lower half were getting sucked into Zed's mouth. "No way! He's actually eating my ash body! I can't risk going out like this!"

The ashes making up Zor's lower half spiralled and vanished transforming back into his legs, the consequence of this being that he had no way to keep himself in the air making him quickly fall to the ground. Running up to his helpless body, Zed focused his magic into his right fist smashing it into his chest.

Zor spun in the air, rolling and tumbling over the cobblestones picking up ash while he did. Coming to a stop his body ached especially his chest which he needed to support with one of his hands. Struggling to lean up he saw Zed running straight towards him with no signs of him slowing down or showing mercy. Stretching his remaining arm out in Zed's direction, swirls of ash began manifesting in the air taking form into more ash people to serve under him.

Zed frowned at the display and put his hands together. "Cowering behind the dead. What happened to all that pride you had a moment ago?" From his hands Zed moulded a black ethereal scythe which he twisted to face the hoard.

"**Black God's Reaping!**"

The black scythe tore through each and every one of the ash people that stood against its edge. Their bodies ripped into two, slowly breaking back down into ashes. With them cleared out of the way it revealed that sitting up behind them was a smiling Zor holding up cigarette lighter.

"Bought just enough time. Now Burn!" Zor clicked the lighter sparking the trails of ash that fell from the disintegrating bodies. The ignition burned its way along the black trail, expanding and combusting with intense heat and force that illuminated Zed's figure, blowing his cloak in the wind before he was bombarded with an earth tearing explosion. The intense winds and blinding light made everyone present cover their eyes, unable to take in the destructive sight in front of them. When everything began to calm down Zor was the first to open his eyes, his pupils shrinking at the sight entering them.

"Did you forget already?" Zed calmly asked Zor, unharmed from the blast. "I'm immune to your magic. Igniting it on fire won't change the fact that it's black in nature, I should know. Now allow me to demonstrate." Zed inhaled deeply taking a large breath that filled up his lungs and puffed out his cheeks.

"**Black God's Bellow!**"

An eruption of darkness burst out of Zed's maw in an intense black beam that shot over the ground into Zor. His body was eclipsed by the darkness, its negativity tearing everything through its wake, slowly going thinner until the breath attack ended.

Standing at the beginning of the trench his final attack made, Zed looked across it to see Zor on his back with his fedora knocked off his head and his body covered in scratches and black bruises. Casually walking over to him Zed kept a calm look on him showing no signs of exhaustion or fatigue.

Beck just watched him walk, her look transfixed on him. "Woah… that guy was… so cool…" Taking a step forward Beck felt all the energy in her body disappear, tripping up and landing on her side.

Hearing the sound of Beck's body drop, Tai gazed down at her collapsed figure rushing over to her. "Hey! What happened?" Tai looked over at Beck seeing her body still, her mouth open and yet no air went in or out. "Crap. She's not breathing."

Zed was interrupted from his approach to Zor by the commotion by Tai and Beck. He stared at Beck's still body and Tai struggles then back at Zor. Ignoring the previous sight, he carried on walking towards Zor. Determined to finally out an end to his crimes.

"Breathe damnit!" Tai shouted.

Rekindling Zed's attention he looked back to see Tai rolling Beck onto her front and attempting CPR to resuscitate her. Pumping her chest repeatedly he looked back and forth from her face and the placement of his hands not noticing any noticeable difference.

"Come on! Breathe already! I've had to deal with this ash same as you so if I'm still breathing you have to as well!" Tai placed his ear against Beck hoping to hear a heartbeat, feel her chest rise and fall, something. There was nothing.

"Please move aside."

Tai heard a voice behind him and looked to see Zed standing there, maintaining a calm disposition.

"Um sure…" Tai moved a little unsure of who this guy was, as he began inspecting Beck. "Can you help her?"

"Honestly… I'm not sure. I have an associate who could easily… but she isn't here." Zed thought back to Leben who was still missing. Surely, she had to have noticed what was going on here? Zed shook his head and focused his attention on Beck's body. "All I can say is that I will try. But know that Black magic is more prone to ending lives than saving them."

Zed closed his eyes and concentrated, placing his open palm on Beck's chest. While he did, further back Zor opened his eyes, wincing. His body ached all over and he groaned lifting his head up in front of him.

"Guuh~ That kid… damn he hits hard." Zor clenched his fist. "I was supposed to be powerful. I was meant to show Lady Gluttony and the Nanatsu no Taizai just how capable I was but instead I got beaten by some-" His eyes spotted Zed's attempt to save Beck, an action which managed to make him smile. "Huh? Well what do you know, guess I owe that girl a thanks." Zor's body slowly began flaking off and becoming ash that floated away to who knows where along the wind. "Still with that guy around… looks like I'll have to dust this city right now instead of waiting for the ash to thicken. That's gonna be a pain…" Zor's lips became ash and floated off, the last words he said going unheard as he vanished without a spec of him left.

Tai tightly gripped his sword, clenching his teeth so hard they looked like they could crush a diamond. "Damn it. I should have tried to do more. I should have tried to stop her going in."

"You care for this woman. Even though you have only just met her, don't you?" Zed asked as he hovered his hand above her chest, gently raising it up and down. He didn't need to see Tai to know his shocked reaction. "There is no reason for you to feel guilty, on my way here I heard your prayers. She wanted nothing else but to help others even if this was to happen. I imagine that's how you two met, her helping you. A rather noble goal, if not also incredible fool-hardy."

Tai looked down knowing what Zed said was true. Beck offered to split lunch with him, she offered him help when she found out he was homeless. Part of it still angered him that she pitied him, but he couldn't deny that it felt nice her caring about him when for so long everyone had turned a blind eye to him. Then Tai looked back at Zed perplexed.

"What do you mean you heard our prayers?" Tai asked.

"As you have witnessed, I use God Slayer magic which enchants me with divine properties. Similar to the enhanced earthly senses those famous Dragon Slayers have I have more… enlightened senses. Specifically, I can sense virtue and hear prayers." Zed explained "That's how I was able to find the black practioner or Zor I suppose he's called. Only a man like him would pray for absolute power and control over all those beneath him."

Zed opened his eyes and coated his open palm in black magic, gently gliding it over Beck's body. Once it was over her mouth, he let it rest there briefly before weightily lifting it up, pulling the ash from her body outside of her mouth. The stream trickled into Zed's palm where it was absorbed as though it was being sucked into a black hole. Zed carefully positioned his hand, making sure that he kept a steady control of the ash until the trail soon stopped making Zed pull his hand away and uncloak it.

A second later Beck gasped and began coughing and spluttering all over the place. Slowly regaining her bearings Beck blinked a few times and put a hand on her head as she leaned up to see Tai and Zed.

"Ugh what happened… and why do I feel so cold?" Beck asked herself, as she struggled to move.

"Take it easy. I've cleared your airways but you still need to catch your breath." Zed suggested.

Tai just smirked at the downed Beck. "Geez, you couldn't have picked another time to take a nap."

"Hey I wasn't napping! At least I think I wasn't. What was I doing again?" Slowly it all came back to Beck. "Oh yeah that cremation guy. He blew all that ash in my face and then I really struggled to breathe, well more than before anyway." She looked over at Zed. "And you're that God Slayer, you were so cool! What's your name anyway?"

"I'd rather not tell you. In fact, I'd prefer it if you never spoke of me to anyone?" Zed revealed.

"Huh? But why not?! You saved my life! People deserve to know what you did."

"People get in the way. People make my work harder. Case in point the fact that I still haven't secured the practioner because I had to come here and revive you. Now if you'll excuse me." Zed turned around and went to go after Zor when he froze. He stared at the spot Zor once lay only to discover he wasn't there. "What?!"

Tai and Beck looked in the direction Zed was looking with unsure looks.

"I don't get it? Where's the bad guy?" Beck asked.

Zed stayed deathly silent, slowly turning his head so that he could see Beck and Tai over his shoulder. "Gone."

* * *

**So how was it? Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle?**

**Regardless I hope that this first chapter has intrigued you readers enough to stick around for more. I know that most people want to read FanFiction just to see more of their favourite characters and settings so having a focus on OC's might not appeal to everyone. And that's fine but to me one of Fairy Tail's strengths was its creative freedom, which I hope to encapsulate in my story. Who knws maybe I'll inspire others to make similar stories but this early that's really pushing it.**

**Right now my other story 'Trainer to Huntsman' has seniority so I'm not sure when this story will next get updated but just now that until I say so, updates will come eventually.**

**So until then this is Kallerston signing out!**


	2. Ashes to ashes

"Gone?! What do you mean he's gone?!"

Tai Way's enraged cries boomed in the worn torn market. The raining ash had lightened up from before but didn't affect the inch-thick layers that had already covered the ground. Inch thick layers that had been recently been disturbed and are only now settling after the skirmish between Zor, Beck, Tai and Zed.

"I mean he's not here. That in the brief time I spent attending to your compatriot he's escaped. Escaped to who knows where at this point?" Zed bitterly answered. "No. I'm sure that I was able to severely damage him. He must still be nearby. I need to assess the situation."

Zed walked away from Beck and Tai; his gaze fixed solely on the spot where Zor's body once lay. A cold breeze blew from behind Zed making him look in the direction it was blowing. Taking a couple of steps forward he felt his boot brush up against another article of clothing, Zor's sullied white fedora lying on top of the ash.

"His hat? This is bound to be covered by an amount of his magic. If I can get this to Leben then maybe she could trace it to him?" Zed bent down and picked up the fedora, holding it to the side. "I haven't got a moment to lose."

Zed quickly began walking off in the direction of the wind. He couldn't be sure exactly where Leben was but if he went that way, he might be fortunate enough to find another trace Zor left behind. As he did Beck watched his back and the flow of his cloak as she bent her limbs pushing herself up to her front.

"Hey! Take it easy! You almost died a minute ago!" Tai advised.

Beck weakly smiled. "Aw, I didn't know you cared Tai."

"You don't need to care to stop someone from pushing themselves too hard."

"Well the thing about elastic and all things springy is that the more you push…" Beck's arms and legs were fully pressed against the ground, building up her magic power. "The more you spring back up."

Beck released the pressure on her body, the reaction propelling herself into the air. The image of Beck flying through the air was reflected in Tai's eyes as he witnessed her pointing her legs at the ground. Until the air resistance pushed her legs backwards aiming her face at the ground.

"Aah! Not again!" Beck wailed before hitting the ground face first. She bounced back into the air where this time her stomach faced forward. "Eh, could be worse." Beck belly flopped the ground with an audible slap, before shakily getting back onto her two feet. She stared in front of her to see Zed slowing down to a stop a metre in front of her.

"You really shouldn't be doing that in your condition. Now move." Zed advised.

"Not yet! Because there's something I need to say to you and until I say it nothing you can do can make me get out of your way!" Beck proudly declared.

"I don't have time for this." Zed's irises became as black as his pupils, staring into Beck's to make her eyes do the same. Without hesitation Beck's body began moving on its own, stepping to the side and allowing Zed to pass.

The colour in Zed's eyes returned as did Beck's, the realisation of her movement not fully sinking in yet. After a few moments and shaking her head left and right and blinking in surprise to make sure, Beck pinned her attention back on Zed.

"Hey!" She cried out after him, bending her knees and jumping into the air. This time successfully landing in front of him on her feet. "Okay so you can make me move out of the way. But still just let me say-"

Zed turned to Beck and stretched his hand out, making black miasma spiral around his feet. "I can sense your diligence and your kindness, so I know you will not drop this easily. But know that your attempts to help will not only put your life at risk but the lives of others as well. Or have you not realised that were it not for me tending to you I could have made sure that he never escaped."

Beck's energy seemed to disappear from her face, a seriousness taking over. "I know. That's why I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry… I messed up."

The miasma around Zed's feet disappeared and he slowly lowered his arm in response to Beck's words but maintained a serious look. "Admitting your faults doesn't change what happened. Now let me leave or else-"

"But you messed up too right!" Beck's interruption cut through Zed's words. "That's what you're telling yourself. You wished you found him sooner, so none of this wouldn't have happened, so that I wouldn't have nearly died, so that woman… would have lived."

Zed could feel a change in Beck from those words. The feelings of grief, the sounds of prayers mourning the loss of a life and the diligence to stop the man responsible.

"I know you feel it too because you and me… even Tai. I can tell that even though we're different we're also the same. We all want to help no matter what the cost." Beck clenched her fist. "I can't stop him alone but at least let me help. I can jump up high and scout from above! I can tell you everything I know and saw about the guy as soon as he showed up! I can help get people away! But I can't just do nothing! I _won't_ just do nothing! So, if you're going after him… then I'm going after him too got it?!"

The sound of a sandal crunching through ash joined in. "Same with me." Tai said from behind Beck. "Don't get me wrong this whole thing she's saying is insane but that guy…doing what he did." The image of the ash people Tai had to cut through flashed in his mind. "There's no way I can let that go until he faces the consequences. Guess that makes me crazy too."

Zed stared at the two amateur mages with a serious look. He could feel there from both of it at this point and given the state of them, attempting to stop them would only injure them worse and given the deadly nature of Black Magic that wasn't an option. Which left Zed with only one.

"Very well. But know that you are only to accompany me to provide intel from your encounter with the practitioner and to assist the public. As soon as we find him, leave him to me. If you don't… I won't be responsible for what happens." Zed turned around and began walking away. "It'll be better if you tell me what happened while we're on the move. Now come on, enough time has already been wasted. He's likely in a panic, there's no telling what his next move is."

Beck smiled and Tai grinned, walking side by side behind Zed recounting to him how they first entered the market to when the ash began to fall and when Zor appeared. All the while Zed listened without saying a word, staring at the fedora at his side.

_'Leben… Where are you?'_

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay? Isn't this kind of… illegal." Percy sceptically asked Leben.

The trio of Leben, Percy and Kurt all stood in front of Ash's bell tower in front of the main entrance. The entrance itself was a large wooden door with iron reinforcement and a large lock that ensured only authorised personnel could enter. As it happened no one else was around, all had fled due to the ash people's ambush and anyone who wasn't nearby was too afraid to go outside due to the rumours and abnormal ash raining from the sky. This conveniently provided the three with complete privacy to go about their business.

"I have traced the origin of the Black magic to this location. There should be evidence of who has caused this and what their intentions are inside. As such going inside and investigating is the best approach." Leben explained.

"That wasn't an answer to my question." Percy nervously responded. "Kurt, what do you think?"

Kurt stroked his beard. "Hmm~ I suppose breaking and entering is illegal. I do not think it is a wise decision to attempt it, even if it is for a good cause."

Percy sighed in relief. "See we shouldn't do it. Let's just stay inside and wait for all of this to blow over and then- wait? Kurt what are you doing now?"

Percy looked at Kurt in front of the lock, using his Wax-Make magic to pour a stream of wax into the key shaped hole. When it had filled and a portion of wax was sticking out Kurt hardened it and turned on the makeshift key. With the sound of a click the lock became undone and Kurt pushed the large door open, allowing the three access.

"On the other hand, I do not believe entering without breaking _is _a crime. So, I think that is the better option to take." Kurt explained.

"Technically speaking, you are correct." Leben agreed.

"Do you both seriously not know what trespassing is?! I literally make a living stopping what you two are about to do!" Percy outburst.

Leben stared at Percy, the rings and square shapes in her camera lens like eyes shifting. "Are you saying that you are against this course of action and any action that involves scouring this premises?"

"Well… kind of."

"Then you are a potential threat to this mission and as such you will need to be dealt with." Leben raised her arms forward, with glowing circuit-like patterns snaking up to her fingertips that were pointed in Percy's direction.

"W-W-Wait a minute! Can't we talk about this?!" Percy cried out in his defence.

Kurt suddenly stood in front of Leben shielding Percy with his body. "Now, now young lady. If you give me a minute, I can assure you that I can convince Percy to agree with our methods. Wouldn't that be much more efficient than wasting your energy taking him out?"

Leben blankly stared at a moment before lowering her arms, making the patterns fade. "Your sixty-seconds to convince him have started now. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight. Fifty-seven."

While Leben counted down to Percy's demise in the background, Kurt turned around and bent down to speak with the Trap Enchantment mage in person.

"Listen Percy. You are completely right." Kurt stated.

"I am? Then why did you just unlock the door?" Percy asked.

"Because sometimes right people need to do the wrong thing. Take guild mages, if we had some stamp on us and this was a job then what we would be doing would be completely legal."

"Yeah but… aren't guild mages trained professionals?"

Kurt chuckled. "You would be surprised." Seeing Percy's unsure demeanour Kurt placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Listen Percy. There is no shame in leaving right now."

"R-Really?"

"Of course. You are just a growing boy. Putting yourself in danger like this is no easy task, your fear is completely normal. However, this is my home and with my experience I am in a better position than most so right now I have to step up. If you leave now, I will understand."

Percy heard Kurt's words and looked behind him, seeing the deathly quiet and empty town square that minutes earlier was alive and bustling. Was it really okay to leave? He did have a job to finish, assuming the man would risk let him in. But he would be alone, with Kurt an S-Class mage he would be protected, although he would be entering the most dangerous part of the city. And was he really okay with breaking the law, even if it was to stop whoever was doing all this?

"Two. One. Your sixty-seconds have been used. Have you managed to convince the one named Percy to comply or will appropriate action need to be taken?" Leben coldly asked.

Kurt stepped away from Percy, giving him a full view of Leben. Eventually he stepped forward and nervously held his hands.

"Let's just get this over with…" Percy finally agreed.

Leben turned towards the bell tower walking in ahead of the others with Percy following after her with Kurt standing close to his side. After getting inside Percy closed the door and turned around to see an open room leading up to a narrow stone staircase at end.

"Um… How many stairs are we going to have to climb?"

"Based on the height of the structure and the size of one individual step…" Leben ran the numbers through her head. "I would estimate a minimum of three hundred and sixty-six steps."

Percy's posture immediately slouched with a grim aura befalling him. Next to him Kurt also showed similar signs of regret. "Perhaps following the law was the right choice."

* * *

Some time and several hundred steps later Leben walked up the last flight of stairs into the top of the tower. The insides of the room were incredibly dark lit only by small amounts of light that passed through the translucent clock faces on each of the four walls. High above Leben's head were several large bells hung from the ceiling that gently swayed in preparation of when the correct time arrived.

She walked forward and began her inspection of the room when behind her Percy and Kurt finally made it up the last flight of stairs. Kurt seemed distressed, holding his hip and slouching his back, while Percy seemed completely out of his breath and his movement incredible slow as though his feet were cast in cement.

"It's… over… thank goodness…" Percy euphorically panted falling to his knees at the top.

"Look on the bright side… at least it's good exercise. Even if it makes my bones feel like they're about to snap." Kurt placed his hands on his back and stretched, making a clicking sound. "Ah~ much better."

Percy took several more breaths, turning towards Leben. "Are you okay?"

Leben turned her head over her shoulder at Percy. "I am not suffering from anaerobic respiration. I am in peak condition."

Kurt walked towards Leben while looking upwards around the room. "Under normal circumstances the clock tower is inspected once a month and renovated twice a year. I doubt whoever has caused this has been here long."

"Based on similar incidents that my father and I have investigated in Sage and Basil, I would estimate they have only been here for just under three weeks."

"Sage and Basil? You aren't suggesting that what is happening here is related to those disappearances are you?"

Leben nodded. "I am not just suggesting it, I am confirming it. The magic signature here is identical to the one in Basil."

"Really? How can you tell?" Percy curiously asked, getting closer to the two.

"That information is not necessary to our current-" Leben paused in the middle of her sentence, her posture becoming as still and lifeless as a statue.

"Um… are you alright?" Percy waved his hand in front of Leben's face.

Leben sharply turned towards one of the clock faces, shocking Percy as she focused her gaze on what was in front of her. "…Something is coming. Based on what I am seeing I believe it is the black practitioner."

After a moment of calm Percy suddenly began freaking out. "Wait! Hold on! You mean the person whose caused all this is coming here right now?!"

"That is the information I just shared with you. You are slower than average in taking in information, do you have a hearing disability?"

"What type of question is that?! I'm-!"

Kurt placed his hand on Percy's shoulder to reassure him while he stared at Leben's back. "How long do we have?"

Leben turned back around to face the two. "Exactly 14.825 seconds."

* * *

High above the streets of Ash an ash of a very different sort blew through the air at a high speed. The thick current of black cremated ash slithered through the air assisted by the wind, heading towards its sole destination of the city's bell tower. With small granules getting caught adrift and flaking to the ground the culmination of ash crashed against the clock face, squirming its way through any available small cracks. Forcing its way through the ash culminated on the other side joining together to form the body of Zor Bosch.

"Damn brats…" He panted, placing his hand over his chest. "Who cares. Even if that one guy is immune to my magic, he can't stop me. Not now. Not after everything I've done. Soon everyone will be grovelling at my feet at the name Zor-!" Zor looked up from his solo monologue to see Leben, Kurt and Percy all staring at him from the centre of the room. "And just who the hell are you all supposed to be?!"

Kurt stood forward. "Me? Just a man enjoying his retirement. At least I was until _somebody_ started making a mess of the place. Now if you would kindly turn yourself in then we can all go back to our lives."

Zor snickered. "You know I could feel more of my reconstituted soldiers being destroyed from somewhere around here. Turns out it's not just kids who are ruining my day of recognition but old farts too. Gimme a break."

"What's this guy talking about? Are there other people like us standing up to face this guy?" Percy asked.

"Based on his injuries and the traces of magic on his person I conclude that he has fought three other mages recently. One of which being my Father." Leben answered Percy.

"Seriously? Your father did that to him?"

Leben turned her head to look at Percy. "You ask a lot of questions. Do you have a learning disability to go along with your hearing one?"

"I'm perfectly fine!"

Zor looked at the display in front of him and sneered. "Y'know this is hardly the recognition a guy like me deserves." Black ash began seeping out of his palms. "And after what I've just been through, I'm not even going to waste my breath on people like you." Zor brought his arm back preparing a large blast of ash, taking a step forward to ready his ground. The moment his foot touched the floor the area around it glowed bright green taking him by surprise. "What's this?!"

The light under Zor's foot expanded and took shape into a ring under his body that released a translucent light upwards trapping him inside its glow. His foot and arms twitched in place with an evident strain forming on his face.

"My body? It won't move?" Zor asked himself in complete confusion.

Percy dramatically stepped forward. "My **Snare** trap won't last long Kurt! Do it now!"

"Right!" Kurt clapped his hands together coating them in wax and raised them above his head to create a sticky glob of wax. "**Wax-Make: Sticky Trap!**"

Flinging his hands forward, Kurt sent the glob flying at Zor who could only stand and watch as the approaching spell came his way. The light in Zor's eyes slowly began to dim as he found himself able to look down at the ground to witness Percy's spell wearing off.

"Nice try." The rings disappeared under Zor's feet giving him time to cremate his body and fly upwards as ash, just in time to dodge Kurt's spell.

"He appears to have escaped your trap. It did seem poorly constructed." Leben pointed out.

"I only had ten seconds! Cut me some slack!" Percy argued.

Kurt clapped his hands together. "Do not waste time on what went wrong. Keep your guards up!" Kurt stretched his arms upwards casting **Wax-Make: Stream**, sending the pressurised stream of molten wax at the Zor's ash body.

Streaking through the air Zor twisted around the bells, using them as cover as the wax stream coated the metal. Spiralling upwards Zor formed his upper body and created a large black ash cloud above himself.

"**Black Nimbus!**"

The cloud was tossed down falling under its weight at fast speeds. Kurt readied his hands when Leben stepped forward to face the deadly spell. "**Deconstruction.**"

Glowing circuit patterns flared over Leben's arms which she gestured upwards. In response the ash began to glow light blue and quickly broke apart into smaller and smaller specs that disintegrated out of existence.

From above Zor looked down at his nullified spell frowning. "There's no way. My magic was supposed to make me rule over everyone!" Zor flew down towards the three at a rapid rate. "So why is everyone stopping it?!"

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "You would be surprised how many mages I've faced in my youth who said the same thing. **Wax-Make:** **Lava Plume!**"

Kurt moulded several large lumps of wax above him that he released into the air. The bolus shapes rose upwards, their flight pattern reminiscent of lava lamps as they floating in front of Zor's flight path. Zor grimaced as he was forced to weave his way through the wax globs, giving Kurt time to clap his hands.

"**Wax-Make: Candlestick!**"

Kurt punched the floor, creating large wax columns that burst out from the cracking wood. Zor squirmed through the air until one column blindsided him, slamming him back and pinning him against the clockface.

"Is that all you can do?! You can't push me away forever!" Zor scrunched his face and stared down Kurt and Leben. It was then that he realised something, looking behind Kurt he finally noticed that close to the end of the room was Percy on his knees, nervously preparing a trap enchantment. "Seriously! Another stupid trap!"

Zor's body cremated making the wax columns pass through him and letting him escape overhead. Flying in an overhead arc he bypassed Kurt and Leben, flying towards Percy.

"And finished!" Percy triumphantly told himself. "Hopefully Kurt and that scary girl were able to hold him off long enough." Turning around Percy had time to notice Zor coming straight for him at alarming speeds.

"One trap didn't work! Do you really think another would?!" Zor reached his arm out with ash seeping out from his fingernails.

Percy flinched, trying to get up but tripping over his own feet in a rush. With the approaching Zor incoming Percy panickily froze in place as Zor prepared to attack. A small stream of ash suddenly blew in from under Zor rising in front of Percy. The ash soon thickened and took form, transforming into Leben.

"What?!" Zor cried in shock.

"**Deconstruction.**" Leben coated her arms in glowing circuit patterns, making Zor's cremated half revert back into his lower body. As his body hit the ground Leben turned her head, her eyes zooming to the spot where Percy set his trap, the trap made visible in her eyes. "Analysis complete. **Replication** in progress."

Leben turned back around and reached out making the floor under Zor begin to glow green. Moments later a large mass of green electricity shocked through Zor's entire body making him cry out.

_'No way. Did she not only copy his ability to turn into ash but also my __**Circuit **__trap?!'_ The green light from the electricity faded leaving Zor a smoking mess. Falling onto his knees he placed his palms on the floor, the wear from the trap and Zed's previous attack dealing its toll.

"Damn it… Damn it…" Zor groaned in discomfort.

Putting a hand to his chest over his beating heart Percy took several large breaths. "Is it over? Did we win?"

"Not yet." Kurt answered as he walked towards over. "He still needs to be contained and questioned. After all, if that guild mark on his cheek is any indication, I doubt he is not alone in his endeavours." Kurt coated his hands in wax that he slowly wrapped around Zor's body. "Still for someone who has never been in a guild, you performed remarkably well Percy. The same with your young lady. Your abilities and skill are very impressive."

"Your appreciation has been noted." Leben replied.

On the ground Zor gritted his teeth as he felt the wax slowly wrapping itself around him, limiting his movements.

_'This wasn't meant to happen! I was told that I was destined for great things! That's what Lady Gluttony promised!'_

Zor's thoughts quickly became memories. His recent defeats against Zed and Leben weighing down on him, soon becoming something much… much older. A short flash of him on the ground kneeling in front of a feminine silhouette.

Zor growled under his breath. "You ever wonder how hot my body needs to be to burn to turn itself into ash?"

Kurt, Percy and Leben all turned to Zor at the mention at his question.

"The typical temperature required to reduce the human body into ash varies between 1100 and 1500°C or 2012 - 2732°F." Leben answered.

Black ash began seeping out from every crevasse and pore in his body flaking to the ground as he began to chuckle. His hand emerged from his back trouser pocket, flicking his lighter on. "Smart girl." Zor looked at the three with a crazed look in his eyes with bloodshot eyes and a wide sinister smile. "NOW DIE!"

Releasing his palms grip the lighter fell to the ground, bouncing back and forth on the ground before landing on its side. The flames crackled in the ash, sparking into life and expanding outwards in a rapid combustion.

The eruption of flames burst outwards in a column of heat and fire that spread out to take down Kurt, Percy and Leben in one destructive blast. Reacting instantly Kurt clapped his hands creating a wall of wax to take the brunt of the attack. The wax absorbed the initial heat and force but quickly fell apart under the pressure of the explosion, blasting the trio backwards into the clock face. The clock cracked from the intense force coming its way followed by the three mages crashing against its surface and smashing into pieces when the flames burned their way through.

On the outside, the sound of an explosion tore through the dead silence that Ash had been experiencing. The bright light of the flames contrasting with the dim darkness the city was covered in. From afar, down a street leading to the city's centre Beck, Tai and Zed all stopped in their tracks. Looking at the explosion with shock on their faces.

"The clock!" Tai exclaimed.

"That's just like what happened when that guy attacked! That must be where he is!" Beck realised.

Zed stared at the scene and narrowed his eyes. "People… there are people there?" Zed's eyes widened in realisation. "They're falling!"

Zed dropped Zor's hat and dashed into a sprint with Beck and Tai running close behind. In the flames up ahead in the sky, a faint blue glimmer could be seen when the flames suddenly expanded and popped like a bubble revealing Leben and the others. With her arms glowing, Leben deconstructed the ash immediately around them, in turn removing the fuel source required for the fire to burn. Kurt and Percy recovered having received minimal burn damage thanks to Leben's quick thinking. Kurt slowly realised what was happening while Percy was taking more time to adjust to his new situation. Staring through his now black spec covered glasses he looked around to see Kurt and Leben. Then the area around them, then the clock tower and then the ground. When it all suddenly clicked.

"WE'RE FALLING!" Percy screamed.

Percy flailed his arms as he and the others began falling under the weight of gravity, getting closer and closer to the ground in a matter of seconds. Kurt on the other hand felt his mind racing, a sensation he hadn't felt in years, not since his guild days at least. The wind brushing against his face as she struggled to concentrate on anything, he could his magic into to save everyone.

"You. The one who is known as Kurt." Leben called out Kurt's name getting his attention. "I require you to create a large amount of wax and place it on the ground. Failure to do so in the next 17.75 seconds will result in a 37% chance of serious bodily harm and a 63% chance of death. Can you perform this task?"

Despite the strangeness of the task Kurt firmly nodded. "I can. I hope you know what you are doing." Kurt clapped his hands together. "**Wax-Make: Block!**"

The wax formed into a large dense block roughly the size of Kurt's body. Its weight allowing it to fall through the air at a faster rate than everyone else. Landing on the ground the wax cracked under the sudden force but remained sturdy and in one piece.

"Is that enough?" Kurt asked.

Leben's eyes focus in on the wax black, reaching out her arm. "This amount should suffice."

"WHAT'S GOING ON?! ARE WE GONNA LIVE?!" Percy cried out.

"Don't worry Percy, I am certain we will… I think." Kurt answered.

"YOU THINK?!"

Leben ignored the screams of concern from Percy, blue circuits crawling up her arms that were both stretched out in the direction of the wax block. "**Reconstruction.** **Wax to Wool.**"

The block of wax suddenly flashed light blue. When it dimmed back down it had completely transformed into a large block of thick pink wool that spread outwards into a big pink clump.

Kurt's eyes widened. "She changed my spell's attribute?"

Leben turned to face the others. "I have increased our odds of survival to 90%. To avoid imminent death please position your body over the wool within the next five seconds. Four. Three. Two-"

The remaining seconds passed and before Leben could finish all three landed on top of the wool that bent inwards and sprung back up, sending them flying once more. They fell back on the wool again where they bounced again only to land a final time where their bodies rested on the soft material.

"Our momentum has stopped. We have safely reached ground level." Leben announced.

"We're alive…" Percy slowly realised. "We're alive! Ha! Ha! We're alive!"

"You appear to be repeating your words. Are you having a stroke?"

"You know what I'm so happy I won't bother correcting you this time."

A black boot stomped into the ash covering the square. "About time I found you."

Kurt, Percy and Leben all looked to the sound of the voice to see Zed standing in the distance, watching them.

"It appears my father has arrived." Leben announced, stepping off the wool with the others.

"He's your father? But he looks so… young?" Percy repeated at the sight of Zed.

"You are persisting to repeat my information. Stop."

Taking two steps forward towards the others Zed sighed. "Why is it that every time I take my eyes off you, you always run away?"

"I believed this course of action would be more efficient to finding the black practitioner, which it was." Leben answered.

"And, where is he?"

"He was last seen attempting a last resort, where he ignited his body to create a large-scale explosion to eliminate myself and my recruited help."

Zed looked behind Leben at Kurt and Percy. "And just why did you recruit them? When you know how important it is that we remain inconspicuous?"

Beck abruptly landed next to Zed, causing ash to be blown away by her feet. "Y'know considering you asked for our help, you could at least wait up for us."

A moment later Tai came into view panting and coughing. "Seriously! Why the hell are you making us chase you when we're surrounded by all this irritating ash?!"

Leben stared at Zed with a blank look. "Are you not to borrow the phrase; _'_The pot calling the kettle black'?"

"The situation with them is completely different." Zed shortly answered.

"And yet the end results are the same. You are in no position to chastise my judgement father."

"Woah, woah, wait!" Beck stepped in-between the two, pointing accusingly at Zed. "You're a father?!"

"It would be more accurate to say I'm her carer and even that is a stretch of what our true relationship is." Zed reasoned before turning back to Leben. "That doesn't matter right now. I need to know, did the practitioner survive?"

"Survive? He blew himself up, I don't think anyone could-" Percy began to say.

"Results unclear. Quantity of Cremation magic in the surrounding environment making it difficult to pinpoint with exact certainty." Leben answered.

"Wait, he might still be alive?!" Percy asked in shock.

Leben turned and raised her palm, making circuit patterns light up. "If you do not refrain from asking questions, I will be forced to silence you. This is your last warning."

Percy responded to the threat by clasping his hands over his mouth in a panic. He frantically nodded in agreement, getting Leben to stand down.

From behind Zed, Tai just grunted. "Wimp."

"Be nice, he's had a rough day." Kurt softly suggested.

"And the rest of us haven't? At least we're not being overemotional." Tai replied, looking up at the dark sky. "Hold on a minute. If this guy was really dead then why's his spell still active?"

At his question everyone looked towards Tai. In particular Zed saw the direction Tai was looking and stared at the clouds. "It was like this in the other cities I visited too. My guess is that once the spell is cast it is able to continuously remain active independently from the caster." Zed looked towards Leben in thought. "But when a mage dies any traces of their magic die with them so, he must still be alive. But I don't hear his prayers so, where could he be?"

* * *

Up above the wreck that was now the top floor of the clock tower, the opened-up room was charred black from the explosion stained with wood chips, embers and human ash. The ill breeze of the outside blew in causing loose grains of ash to blow backwards one at a time, slowly coming together into a fixed spot. The ash pile's volume continued to grow and grow becoming larger and darker as it took a humanoid form, though it looked far from human.

The figure was completely black from head to toe barring a pair of stained teeth and a purple guild mark on its cheek. With its completely white eyes, it tilted its head down to look at its form, flexing its fingers and toes. Taking notice of its much larger, much bulkier frame and admiring how its body could become tiny grains of ash and reform into a dense solid so easily. The figure's teeth twisted into a smile and it began to callously chuckled to itself as parts of its body began to glow with embers.

* * *

"Okay so the guy got away! But hey we stopped him from hurting anyone else right! I'm sure the proper magic guilds can take it from here!" Beck optimistically cheered.

"I thought you wanted to take this guy down!" Tai shouted.

"I do but… well I can't exactly take him down if he's not here. What's most important is stopping him from hurting anyone and that's what we did."

Tai turned away and gritted his teeth. "Yeah well I still want to carve the bastard up."

"That would be very foolish." Kurt walked up to the two. "Your friend is quite mature not seeking glory but performing a duty, miss?"

"Beck! Well technically Rebecca but everyone calls me Beck or at least I'd like them to. And Mr Grouchy over there is Tai." Beck introduced. She looked behind Kurt to see Percy nervously twiddling his fingers. "So, who are you two?"

"You may call me Kurt and my young friend here is Percy. We were just having tea when this whole mess started. Weren't we?"

Percy glanced up and continued fiddling. "Um… yeah…"

Tai took a step towards Percy and frowned. "Hey! Look us in the eye would ya!"

Percy flinched. "Sorry. Sorry. It's just… well I have a question but I'm afraid to ask it…" Percy looked over to Leben who was conversing with Zed away from the rest of the group. "It's just well… are you two also that guy's children?"

Tai scoffed. "Do we look like we're related? Then again those two don't exactly seem like a regular family."

"I wouldn't worry about them. They did help us after all, they seem like good people. That guy did save my life after all." Beck reasoned.

"That girl saved mine too, even though I got myself into trouble in the first place… and even if she's mean." Percy explained.

"And such control of her magic. To negate, copy and completely alter the attribute of spells. Whatever magic she possess it is one that I have not seen before." Kurt reflected.

"Same with that guy. He's a God Slayer or something, he ate magic right in front of us" Tai added.

"A God Slayer. He possesses lost magic? I wonder how he must have obtained such a thing?"

"Well whoever they are I like em'!" Beck decided.

"You haven't even talked to the girl yet; she might be a brat." Tai argued.

"She's not a brat… but she is scary." Percy glumly revealed.

Beck suddenly coughed into her fist before looking up at the sky. "Man as soon as possible I'm heading home and taking a nice long shower. Hopefully the steam will help clean clear my lungs and my pores. I really don't wanna get any spots."

"Sure. Not ten minutes ago this stuff nearly made you kick the bucket; God forbid it gives you a pimple or two." Tai mocked.

"Hey spots are painful to remove! Especially with my skin they just refuse to pop!" Beck looked up at the sky to see the small black specks of ash in the air along with more peculiar specs. "Are those… embers?"

"There was just an explosion just now." Percy reasoned.

"No. This is different." Leben announced from the distance. She looked away from Zed and up at the bell tower seeing more and more embers escaping out of the wreckage, the rings in her eyes zooming out as her pupils dilated. "I sense a powerful source of magic but no caster or magic item creating it."

"Is it coming from Zor?" Zed asked urgently.

"It is and it isn't."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Tai shouted in frustration, as above them balls of ash formed in the tower.

"The magic signature is identical to the one known as Zor's magic. But his presence is still not in the local vicinity. Additionally, there are no signs connecting the source of this magic to an alternative location than here."

"I still don't get it." Beck deadpanned.

"Me either." Percy agreed.

From below Kurt felt a sense of dread that quickly became caution as he stared up at the sky to see a multitude of black streams of ash swim down from the sky. Each one having orange sparks trailing from them.

"I am afraid are troubles are not over just yet." Kurt grimly realised.

The burning black streams swirled down in front of the wool pile taking form into dozens and dozens of ash people, but with one major difference.

"They're on fire now?! Why are they on fire?!" Percy yelled.

Burning in front of them, the ash people's black bodies had orange embers scattered throughout them. Their eyes were nothing but glowing lights and when their mouths opened wide a dim light could be seen.

"**Ha~hhh…**" The burning people gasped.

"I knew he could ignite his ash but this is crazy!" Beck exclaimed.

Kurt clapped his hands, creating wax from them. "It appears that we will need to fight yet again."

"What are you talking about now? We need to get out of here!" Percy panicked.

With the burning figures reflections in his eyes, Tai drew his blade. "I don't think we have much of a choice here. Either stand with us or get out of our way."

Percy gulped cautiously bringing out his notebook and made his forefinger glow green. "I really shouldn't have taken a break."

Zed clenched his fists, coating them in darkness as miasma trailed off into the air. "I doubt you can escape now so all I can say is to prepare yourselves. Don't let your guards down for a moment."

Leben raised her hands as blue markings lit up. "Estimated total of enemies calculated to be 100. Proceed with caution."

"**GRAAAAAAHH~!**"

The burning hoard charged screaming at the six mages ready to burn them all to ashes. Taking the first move Beck got into a runner's starting position.

"Let's do this! **Rubber Bullet!**" Beck shot forward cutting through the group, breaking their formation apart and turning a few into smoulders.

Getting up on the other side of the wave, the people at the back turned and went for Beck with arms stretched towards her. Seeing their advance Beck jumped high into the air above their heads and aimed her legs straight down.

"**Pogo Stomp!**" Beck put all her weight into her legs and crashed on top of the burning ash people, reducing them to pulverised dust. Carrying the elastic potential energy, she jumped up and began repeating the same action over and over again with any enemies around her.

With their forces divided Zed ran straight forward with a black fist, punching one in the head with enough force to blow it to pieces. The body fell apart at the seams with Zed turning to see a line of burning people heading straight towards him.

"I apologise for what I must do. I will put you all to rest." Zed felt his insides rise up with magic power as he got into a balanced stance. "**Black God's Bellow!**"

A black beam shot from Zed's mouth cutting through the people ahead of him. Quickly turning his head to the side, the black beam moved with him blasting apart anything caught in its destructive wake.

While Beck and Zed took the offensive Kurt stayed on the defensive letting the burning hoards come to him, carefully clapping his hands together.

"These constructs are imbued with fire, as far as elements are concerned, I'm at a disadvantage but still…" Wax suddenly materialised above the large group's head in the form of a seal stamp. "That is no reason not to fight back! **Wax-Make: Stamp!**"

Kurt clapped in time with the stamp crushing the people under its tremendous weight. The stamp soon dissipated leaving all the surviving ash people trapped under a large wax seal placed on top of them.

Running past the seal on the ground Tai raised his sword over his shoulder cutting any all ash people near him into large pieces. Cutting another one straight down the middle, he pulled his sword out and stared at his blade to see its dirty ash covered appearance, not helped by the overcast day.

"Crap. I can't use my magic." Tai noticed a black and orange figure appearing behind his own smudged reflection. He quickly turned around and swung only for his blade to be caught in the ash person's palms not cutting deep enough to stop him.

"**Hauuuugh~**" The burning man moaned.

Tai struggled with the burning ash person, trying to hold his ground as the man's flames ignited more violently to make Tai feel the heat. Tai winced when he noticed his blade becoming brighter, realising that the flame's these people produced, provided more than heat.

"Heh. Thanks for the light!" Tai tilted his blade so the sharp side was aimed towards his neck and reflected enough of the dim light forwards to cut the man's head off. Regaining control of the situation Tai looked around to see more forces coming as he defensively stood in a stance with his sword to continue cutting them to ribbons.

In the furthest reaches from the action Percy was preparing another trap, switching his view between his notebook and the ground he was enchanting. "Come on Percy. Stay calm. It's just like a regular job except outdoors, surrounded by black magic and burning angry zombies of death and-!" Percy froze in place, his finger gently shaking over the ground. Taking a moment, he cautiously looked back over to see everyone else fighting, taking out as many of the hoard as they could.

_'I don't get it. How could everyone there just fight like that? Aren't they scared of getting hurt? Of dying? Why are they going so far? And why…'_ Percy felt a powerful feeling in his chest as he stared at Kurt pushing another group away with his wax. _'Why do I want to be with them?'_

Looking back down at his enchantment Percy narrowed his eyes and continued preparing his trap. "I hope this works…"

Two burning ash people walked forward preparing to prey on whoever was in their way, unfortunately walking towards the one person who could end their existence with her bare hands.

Leben stretched her arms towards them. "**Deconstruction.**"

Her arms glowed with circuits patterns, each hand emitting a field of light that nullified any magic that came into its presence, even the ash on the ground faded into nothing. As the mindless minions walked towards the light to their own disassembly Leben looked up towards the bell tower, her eyes fixed on something.

"Caution. The source of the large magic signature appears to be approaching. To borrow the phrase 'We are out of the frying pan and into the fire'."

The black figure stared down from above at the six individuals who had stopped him. Who had reduced him to whatever he was now. No matter what he threw at them they would beat it, beat_ him_.

"**Die…**"

The man who wanted everything. The man who could control life and death. The one who would show _everyone_ who he was. Was beaten by six nobodies.

"**Die!**"

The black figure ran to the edge of the tower and leaped off into the air falling rapidly towards the ground. The others down below had enough time to see it coming as they quickly moved further back as the black hulk slammed on top of his ash creations in a quaking impact.

"**DIIII~E!**"

His screams shook the very air causing ash to frantically shake and scatter in place when he combusted in place. Flames were lit over his body especially from his head that gave the appearance of a torch as the others could only watch his burning form with caution.

"What the hell is that?!" Tai shouted.

"Based on my analysis it appears to be a more powerful iteration of the Black Ash spell we have been facing." Leben answered.

"But the other one's couldn't talk. At least not properly." Beck pointed out.

Zed narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward. "Because this one isn't like the others. It's him."

Tai looked towards Zed with his eyes widening. "You mean that thing is that Zor guy?!"

At the sound of his name the black figure focused his attention on the mages stood against him. "**You… You bastards tried to stop me!**" The flames rose higher.

Zed got into a defensive stance. "No. If it were him then I could sense it. But… I think it's his lingering will."

"His will?" Beck repeated.

Zor's will raised his right arm skywards making it slowly break apart into grains and reform bit by bit.

"His magic allows him to reconstitute dead bodies from their ashes and then absorb them into his own. I'm not certain but my guess is that when he ignited himself to kill Leben and the others, he did die. But in his last moments his negative feelings of rage and desire for power allowed him to push his magic to the limit and manifest his own ashes into this new body. A body created to enact one goal."

Zor's will straightened his arm out revealing it had transformed into a large cannon barrel, with a burning orange light forming inside of it.

"To finish what he started."

The light inside the cannon barrel intensified into an inferno followed by a deafening explosion. A massive fireball shot out at blinding speeds, superheating the ash that trailed under it to ignite in a blazing trail that reached the group in a second. The fireball passed by Zed first and continued its path away from Beck and Kurt. Tai felt the heat against his skin though he avoided the impact and Percy was too far away from the others to notice. Leaving only Leben to stare at the attack unable to prevent it from landing. Her pupils contracted before the fireball collided with her body in a massive explosion that blew away ash and made the others brace themselves form the shear heat and force exerted, the winds blowing down into the many streets outside of the square leaving the impact sight a burning bonfire.

From his position Percy was the first to take in the moment, the magic from his finger dimming and his enchantment hiding itself in completion. "No…"

The others soon looked behind them at the fire their faces showing surprise and shock, the only one maintaining any sense of calm was Zed who looked back at Zor with a serious stare.

"You shouldn't have done that." Zed uttered seriously.

"**Who's next?**" Zor's will uttered as more burning ash people spawned in the mid-air.

While the others were petrified in shock at Leben's sudden demise, Zed held his ground coating his hands in Black magic. "This isn't the time to hesitate. Either fight or escape!"

Beck turned to Zed. "But… your daughter-"

"She's fine!" Zed replied releasing a blast of magic out of his palms towards a group of ash people at point blank range. "I didn't want you to know about this. Or anyone for that matter but knowing Leben she won't hide it any longer."

As Zed spoke a light blue light began to glow from inside the fire.

"Leben isn't exactly… human." Zed stated punching another person away.

The blue light began to glow brighter and brighter.

"Wait hold on! What are you talking about?! Not human?!" Beck frantically asked in confusion.

The blue light took shape into a humanoid silhouette but one with distinct features such as pointed appendages on the top of the head and an extremely long cylindrical shape where the left arm would be.

"I don't know much about what Leben is but I do know that she is originally from somewhere outside of Fiore. And possesses extreme power and intellect that far outclass what most humans can do." Zed thrusted his arms forward sending a wave of Black magic outwards to wipe out a small group in front of him. "She's…"

The light shot out the flames and into the air where it expelled in the blink of an eye revealing Leben in a new form, suspended in mid-air due to wing like protrusions on her back, releasing light blue jets of flame.

Zed looked behind himself to see Leben flying in the air. "A Machina!"

Leben's general appearance hadn't radically changed although physically she seemed a foot taller. Her upper body was now covered in orange metal plating from her collar bone downwards. Immediately under her collarbone was a small section composed of three triangles that were purple on the left and right and dark blue in the middle contained within orange plating shoulder straps. On the sides of her head were grey and black antenna shaped protrusions that had the tips rise over her hair and her purple boots were replaced with a heavily armoured variant. Most jarring of all were her arms where after a third the way down looked completely mechanical. Her right arm was dark blue in colour and had glowing circuit patterns run over it, along with a holographic ring that floated around the appendage. Her right arm had completely altered to bear resemblance to the barrel of a cannon, with dark blue wing-like protrusions from a dark blue base and a dome containing light blue energy that rested over the shaft and a dark blue ring right before the cannon head.

"Structural damage from ignited Cremation Magic has been repaired. Power Output at 100%. Ethernano Processing System now functioning at 100% capacity." Leben's eyes zoomed in on the battlefield, her vision providing data analysis and viewing all magic and Ethernano level readings and displaying them in her HUD. "**Assault Mode: Online**."

Zor's lingering will looked up at Leben's new form gritting his teeth. "**What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS SHE?!**"

Leben aimed her arm canon at Zor, the glass dome and circuit markings on the wing-appendages glowing bright with power. "I am the one who will end you. **Ethernano Canon!**"

The end of the Leben's canon glinted before firing a powerful blast of magic power directly on top of Zor's will. His ash body screamed as the light overtook it making it fade away in an eruption that put Zor's will's own fiery blast too shame. When the light faded all, it revealed a black lower body with the top half of Zor's will completely blown off.

Leben lowered her cannon. "Confirmed hit on the target."

Apart from the Zed the four remaining mages all stared with blank circular eyes in complete shock.

"Um… wow just… just wow…" Beck awed.

Percy was practically shivering at the sight of Leben's attack. "I knew that she threatened to kill me but I didn't realise she could have done it so easily."

Kurt just gave a weak smile. "Tea with strangers, fighting living corpses, B&E and now a living machine all in one day. I suppose this is all my years of retirement coming back at me."

Zed just sighed. "With reactions like those and knowledge of my God Slayer and Leben's Machina status I doubt they can keep their mouths shut. I'll need to find a way to guarantee their silence."

Zed glared back at the charred section of the town square when he suddenly felt a disturbance in the breeze. The ash in the surrounding area began to spiral, forming a twister around Zor's will form that quickly began regenerating it back together again completely unharmed.

"Impossible was his will so strong that even on its own its able to reconstitute itself!" Zed cried in shock. "If that's the case the only way to destroy this monstrosity for good is to eliminate all the ash at once. And fortunately, I have the perfect way to do that as unappealing as it is." Zed took exhaled preparing to take in a big gulp of air and begin slurping.

"**Oh no you don't!**" Zor's will's lower body quickly ignited, blasting himself like a missile at Zed where he closed the gap and tightly grabbed him by the throat.

Zed gaped his moth wide as he felt the crushing forces around his neck. _'His speeds improve drastically in this form along with his power!'_

Continuing his charge Zor's will slammed Zed against the side of one of the many building's circling the square and pinning him to it, keeping his legs dangling as though he was being hanged.

"**What's wrong number one fan? All choked up at meeting your hero? Hahahaha~!**" Zor taunted Zed as he squeezed tight making Zed splutter and croak in helplessness.

Though maintaining a neutral look Leben's wing thruster boosted in power sending her right at Zor's will at blazing speeds. "Release my Father immediately!"

Zor's will turned his head able to recognise Leben's presence despite lacking his eyes. "**You want your daddy little girl? Then take him!**"

Zor's will quickly spun in place flinging Zor's body towards Leben's flightpath. Reacting in time, Leben caught Zed's body in her left arm only for a dark shadow to suddenly loom over her.

"**Can't nullify me if you have your hands full can ya?!**" Zor's will appeared over Leben with his lower body thrusting him up. "**Funeral Urn!**"

Zor's will suddenly exploded outwards into ash that quickly surrounded Zed and Leben dragging them to the ground. The ash soon reformed as normal into the lingering will's form but with an added addition.

"**Heh. Got ya.**" Zor's will tilted his head down so that Zed and Leben were in view in front of him or more accurately rather in him.

From an outside view Zed and Leben's bodies were trapped inside Zor's will's chest, the only exceptions being their heads and Leben's arms, with Leben's wings appearing out of his back.

"Leben *cough* can you deconstruct him?" Zed painfully asked.

"Unfortunately not. He has placed my arms too far away from his body to affect him and I am incapable of moving my arm or firing my cannon. Can you not ingest him?" Leben answered.

"*cough* Right now my throat feels so sore it's difficult to speak let alone eat. Besides I can't get a good bite to sink my teeth into. I'm afraid we're stuck." Zed looked down regretfully, feeling the heat from the lit embers circling the body made prison. "How could I be so foolish?"

Zor's will turned to face the remaining mages. "**I'll deal with these two last. You four have the mercy of dying quick.**"

Kurt cautiously frowned. "Those two were the most capable of handling him. With them incapacitated, this just got significantly harder."

Tai glared Zor's will down. "If anyone has a plan, now would be a good time to say it."

"Well…" Percy nervously muttered, pointing away. "I might have something but we'll need to lure him to that spot. Maybe…"

"Maybe?!"

"Look out!" Beck warned.

Zor's will shot into the air, raising his arms upwards to create a swirl of burning ash. "**Black Nimbus!**"

Zor's will threw the large cloud down. The appearance of the black, ember filled spell baring the appearance of a volcanic eruption.

Quickly flexing her right-hand Leben's eyes began to focus on the cloud. "**Reconstruction. Cremation to Water.**"

The back of the spell glowed light blue, transforming into a large volume of clear water that fell on top of the rest of the spell, extinguishing the flames and dragging the ash away from the others. Zor's will scowled at Leben while Beck looked up with a determined look.

"Okay Percy. Let's spring your trap!" Beck confidently nodded at him before jumping high into the air.

"Wait! You don't even know what it does!" Percy pointed out.

Tai watched the scene unfold and tightened the grip on his sullied katana. "Damn it! If only there was some-!"

A sudden spotlight shined down on top of Tai, casting his shadow over the ground. Looking up in surprised he looked up to see one of the buildings around him have their windows light up. Followed by another and other, as buildings throughout the entire town suddenly had their lights turn on, lighting up the town square.

Kurt stared at the scene, humming in understanding. "It must have gotten so dark that the people inside must need to turn their lights on."

"This could work! But-" Tai couldn't even see his reflection, let alone the natural colour of the blade through the black ash coating it. "This thing is way too filthy to reflect anything, even if I rub some of it off, I doubt it will be enough to reflect a strong enough light."

Kurt noticed Tai's sword in the corner of his eyes and made wax in his palm. "Young man. May I please handle your sword for a moment."

Tai turned to Kurt with a look of confusion while Beck was continuing her trajectory in the air Zor's will making his blank white eyes narrow in suspicion.

"**Do you really think you can stop me? Smoker's Breath!**" Zor's will exhaled a large puff of burning smoke towards Beck, the ash closed in fast making Beck pull back her middle finger.

"That won't work this time! **Elastic Air Pistol!**" Beck flicked her finger forward, blowing away a portion of the ash to give Beck an opening to get close. "Ha! Now I can… can…" Beck soon found herself slowing down and coming to a stop in mid-air, her spell stopping her momentum. "…Oh, come oooo~n!"

Beck began falling towards the ground the sight of which making Zed and Leben look blankly at her in disappointment.

"There is something wrong with that girl." Zed deadpanned.

"It appears you too Father have discovered an individual with mental difficulties." Leben added.

Zor's will rocketed down after Beck with his arms transforming into a pair of dual cannons building up fire. "**Not very smart brat!**"

Staring at Beck's helpless falling body Zed's irises became black. Beck's irises did the same and her body tilted itself without input, directing her away before Zor's will fired his cannon to narrowly miss a shot. The resulting explosion sending scorching winds upwards that blew Beck away yet again.

"**You may have dodged that one but how about this!**" Zor's will readied his second arm cannon when he noticed a shiny fast approaching wall of wax rise towards him. "**What?!**"

His lower body combusted once more to fly back in time to dodge the large sum of wax connecting the ground and the sky. He glared down at Kurt whose hands were placed at the base of the wax sum when in the corner of his eyes he noticed something off. The wax's smooth surface showed the reflection of Zor's will with Zed and Leben held captive in his chest. Along with one extra reflection of someone who wasn't there.

Tai's reflection smirked before a bright light emitted from the wax transforming into Tai who held in his hands a polished and clean katana.

* * *

_"What are you doing?" Tai asked Kurt several moments ago._

_Kurt rubbed his wax covered palm across the flat sides of the blade back and forth. "You know wax has a surprising amount of uses. One of which…" Kurt handed back Tai his katana completely spotless while holding up a palm covered in ash covered wax. "Is as an excellent cleaning supply."_

_Tai quickly took back the blade, to admire his reflection. "Heh that's pretty good." Tai quickly turned back to Kurt. "Hey can you make your wax as polished as this? I've got an idea."_

_Kurt looked at Tai and smiled in response._

* * *

Up in the air with the light of the square supporting him, Tai's sword reflected the light outwards to form a blade of light. "Alright bastard! You're through! **Mirror Cloaked Reflection Slash!**"

Tai swung his sword to send a crescent of light at Zor's will at bright speeds. Zor's will's eyes widened and, in a panic, released small blast from his cannon arms to shoot himself down towards the ground to dodge, the crescent light managed to cut through the top of his shoulder. Struggling to recover he found himself at an angle that faced the wax construct Kurt made, where on the side Beck's purple boots pushed themselves against.

"Now I've got you! For sure this time!" Beck sprung off the wax towards Zor's will at even faster speeds than previously in half the distance allowing her to close the gap and pull her arm back so her elbow was as far back as her shoulder. "**Right Hooke!**"

Beck's arm sprung forward to deliver an angled punch against Zor's will's left side, trapping her fist inside his body.

"**Congratulations kid. You just trapped yourself just like before!**" Zor's will taunted recollecting the similar attack that trapped Beck during their first encounter.

In response Beck just smiled. "Sorry. But this isn't last time because this time…"

A moment of recollection flashed in her mind once again of the young girl getting saved in her dream.

"I'll be the one saving instead of being saved!" Inside the body of ash Beck held her middle finger back, the weight and density of the ash only pushing it further to generate more magic power. "**Elastic Air Pistol!**"

Beck released the energy to flick her finger. The force causing Zor's will to burst open like an overinflated balloon sending ash everywhere and freeing Zed and Leben from their captivity. Falling towards the ground Beck landed on her feet in a crouched position, able to minimise the shock as Zor's will manifested its body on the ground.

"**You! How the hell were you able to do that?! You shouldn't have been able to break me!**" Zor's will screamed. "**Answer me you bitch!**"

Beck casually looked over her shoulder. "So, is that close enough Percy?"

From behind all the action Percy raised his finger. "Well he's not exactly on the trap. But he should be close enough for this to work." Percy's flinger brightly glowed green. "**Trigger!**"

Behind Zor's will the ground suddenly emanated a bright green glow. Powerful winds from all sides started blowing straight towards the centre of the enchantment as though it were a vacuum sucking in dust. Dust such as the black ash scattered everywhere including the body Zor's will inhabited.

Zor's will felt his body being dragged backwards against his will towards the trap, with grains of his burning ash body being torn away from his back. "**I'm getting sucked in?! What is going on?!**"

Percy looked towards his trap with a serious look in his eyes. "I'll admit the **Gravity Core **trap isn't used too often unless its specifically commissioned and for most threats my Snare trap works fine enough. But with it someone with your abilities I needed something that would prevent even a single spec escape from its pull!"

"**Damn! YOU!**"

Behind Percy multiple burning balls of ash suddenly manifested, transforming into burning ash people that fell from the sky to get the jump on Percy. However, a black streak zoomed past them in an instant, leaving all of them cut in two. Percy reacted late to only see Zed in front of him wielding his black scythe from **Black God's Reaping**.

"I think it's time we end this once and for all. Wouldn't you agree Leben?" Zed commented.

An orange blur flew past Zed, bringing up winds that came from Leben's wing thrusters. "I do." Holding her right arm out the circuit patterns glowed with an even brighter intensity than normal as she appeared in front of Zor. "**Deconstruction.**"

Zor's will flashed a bright light blue as his body was getting torn apart at the very atom, with pieces of him flaking off into smaller and smaller flakes that vanished into nothing.

"**No this isn't happening! This wasn't what Lady Gluttony promised! This wasn't why I joined the Nanatsu no Taizai! No! NO! NOOOOOO~!**"

The light emitted from Zor's will flashed dazzling anyone nearby. The light disappeared as soon as it appeared revealing that Zor's will had completely disappeared.

Leben's pupils expanded and contracted repeatedly before coming to a stop. "All traces of Cremation magic have been deconstructed back into Ethernano particles. The adversary has been defeated and the current danger has passed."

Leben's body flashed light blue reverting her out of her **Assault Mode** and back into her regular look.

"Are we absolutely sure it's over." Percy shakily asked.

A beam of light slowly opened up over Percy that soon began to spread and cover more of the area. Looking up Percy and the others saw the black clouds over the city of ash begin to split up and fade away allowing the afternoon sky to once again show itself over the city.

"Yes Percy. Now it is over." Kurt confirmed.

Percy took a large sigh of relief, putting a hand to his chest. "Oh, thank goodness, I didn't think my heart could take it much longer."

With the light of day once again shining overhead Tai sheathed his sword behind his back. "Man, I just can't help taking down bad guys, can I? At this rate I'm gonna end up killing myself."

Beck jumped in front of Tai with her hand raised. "Woah! That was awesome! Give me five!"

Tai eyed Beck's outstretched arm up and down sighing, high fiving it. "I still haven't forgotten you pitying me. Just so we're clear."

"Ooh! That reminds me I was going to ask you something. In fact, after what we just did it might just be worth asking everyone."

"Excuse me everyone." Zed approached the others with Leben at his side. "I'm sure that all you are glad that this is finally over and I'm sure that you must have… questions about me and Leben. However, I ask you please not to tell anyone of who I am, if people were made aware of my existence then-"

"Okay we won't tell." Beck interrupted.

Zed looked at Beck sceptically. "I don't think you quite understand the situation."

"No, I get it. You like being edgy and lonely and all that and you don't want people's attention because they'll get in your way but tell me this mister mysterious. What would have happened if we weren't here to help you stop that guy."

"I would have found him in the market, beaten him and restrained him long enough for the authorities to retrieve him. Instead of saving you and letting him get away so that he could blow up a tower and nearly kill us with his vengeful will manifested."

Beck awkwardly blinked. "…Heh. Heh. But this was fun right. Working together, beating bad guys, helping people."

"Not particularly. Now if that is all you have to say then I must be on my-"

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I haven't gotten to what I need to say yet!" Beck frantically rummaged around her pockets, her face lighting up when her hands grabbed something. "Here we go! Ta da!"

Raising her hands into the air Beck firmly grasped a series of small business cards that she quickly handed out to everyone.

Tai eyed the card up and down reading it. "Cryptid's Dream? You didn't tell me you were in a Magic Guild."

"Well that's the thing." Beck rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not in a guild but I do want to make one and I'm inviting you to join me."

"…"

A silence filled the group.

"No thanks." Zed deadpanned.

"You barely thought about it!" Beck moaned pinching her forehead. "Look I can understand if you don't want to join but just… hear me out for a minute." Beck took a deep breath. "Today we did something important. We did something incredible. We just saved an entire town, and all the people int it and who knows how many others." Beck looked down solemnly. "But we couldn't save everyone… _I_ couldn't save everyone. And I know what you're all thinking, if this girl wants to be in a guild so bad why doesn't she just join one, why go to all the trouble and hassle of making one. And that reason is…" Beck paused her speech putting her hands-on top of each other.

"That reason is what?" Percy asked.

Beck looked up. "Well… I can't say just yet. Not right now but… it's a good reason I assure you." Beck panned her head to get a full view of the five people who she fought side by side today. "But what I can say is that there was a reason the six of us were brought together. And that reason is because we're cryptid's!"

"What did you just call me?!" Tai asked in a raised tone.

"Cryptid. An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, that stretches the limits of what is scientifically possible." Leben answered.

"Well kind of." Beck continued. "We're cryptid's because well look at us: a God, a robot, an old man, a rich boy, a hobo, and a crazy girl it almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. No offence."

"Some taken." Tai remarked.

"But that's exactly why we need to stick together. To keep making this kingdom a better place. To find and bring more Cryptid's so that they can make the kingdom a better place and then keep going and going until eventually we can make everyone right. So, who's with me?!"

"…"

The group went quiet yet again.

"I'm sorry but users of Black magic aren't easy to find in the open. Being part of a guild would just get in the way." Zed coldly answered as he walked away. "Come on Leben, we need to leave."

"Understood Father." Leben nodded walking after Zed before briefly turning her head back. "If any one of you reveals the existence of either me or my Father then we will know and you _will_ be dealt with accordingly."

With that light threat said, Leben looked back around continuing to follow Zed out of the square. A moment passed and then Percy looked away.

"I-I'm sorry too but. I-I already have prior commitments to attend to. I'm already running late on finishing a job today. Sorry again." Percy began heading off giving Kurt one last look. "Thank you, Kurt. For looking out for me."

Kurt smiled at the boy. "No Percy. Today we looked after each other." Turning to Beck Kurt placed his hand on her shoulder. "Beck, you have a kind heart and a powerful drive. One day I am sure that this dream of yours will become a reality." Sadly, Kurt pulled his hand away. "But I cannot be a part of that dream. I am old and I am retired. I have no place in a young man's game such as guild work. I am afraid that this is goodbye."

Kurt turned away and started walking to his home leaving only Beck and Tai alone together.

"So, I… I guess it's just you and me then Tai. Right Tai?" Beck looked towards the first person she worked with in the city who just sighed in response.

Turning away without a word without looking her in the eye, Tai walked off as he stared at the card in his hand. "A dream huh… shame they only exist when you're asleep."

And that left only one. Standing cold and alone in the Winter square, Beck felt the weight of the world crashing down on her, experiencing a pain more will-breaking than any of the spells that Zor had just used to try and kill her.

"Well… back to square one I guess…" Beck said to herself, trying to hide the croakiness in her voice.

* * *

Hours passed and day turned to night across Fiore. Beck had been forced to stay in Ash longer than she would have liked due to Zor's attack shutting down the train station for a while. When she did finally get on though she arrived at her desired stop.

Making her way through her home town she eventually stood at the front of one of many closely packed homes. Getting the courage to raise her arm up she pulled it back and knocked on the door. A few seconds passed when Beck could hear the sound of footsteps and locks being undone on the inside leading to the door being opened.

The person opening the door was a woman in her early to mid-twenties. The woman had long blue hair asymmetrically parted on her right side and blue eyes. She wore black pantsuit and trousers over a grey collar shirt and wore a pair of black high heels. To accessorise she wore a pair of silver droplet shaped earrings and a silver necklace with a round blue jewel around her neck.

The woman gasped and her eyes widened upon seeing Beck, who looked away from her awkwardly.

"Hehe… Hey Call. Sorry I'm late." Beck sheepishly apologised.

"Beck!" Call tightly wrapped her arms around Beck, hugging her tight. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Call! Call! I'm fine see, look at me. I'm fine." Beck explained as Call let her go.

"Really?" Call asked with Beck nodding as a reply. "In that case-" Call suddenly grabbed Beck's ear and began dragging her inside the house. "Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how worried I was?!"

The door closed behind Beck as she was struggling to escape Call's wrath. "Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow! I may be stretchier than most people but that still hurts!"

Call dragged Beck into the houses' kitchen, dropping her down on a chair by a dining table. Letting go of her ear it snapped back onto Beck's head with a snap making the Elasticity mage rub it to ease the soreness.

"You don't need to worry about me Call. I can take care of myself." Beck tried to explain.

Call took the seat opposite Beck and sat down. "I'm your older sister it's my job to worry _Rebecca_."

"Well it sounds to me that you should consider a career change _Callie_."

The two girls stared at each other with sharp gazes that could cut glass before the two couldn't help but break out in a smile and laugh.

"You are terrible at being serious." Call critiqued.

"Why thank you. That just means I'm the fun sister." Beck bragged.

The two's laughs quietened down as Call went over to the sink pouring herself a glass of water. "So how did the interview go?"

Beck's smile suddenly went from one of happiness to one of fear as she began to comedically sweat dozens upon dozens of water droplets. "Oh yeah the interview. Yeah it went um…"

Call sat back down and slammed her glass on the table her look cold and serious. "Beck... Please tell me that you didn't forget the interview and just spent all day goofing off."

"My dear sister I am ashamed that you would think of me that way. I didn't forget for a moment about the interview."

"You didn't forget? Great!"

"Although I may have sort have… fallenasleeponthetrainandmissedmystop." Beck said quickly and incoherently.

"What was that? Say it again _slower_."

"… I fell asleep on the train and missed the stop."

Call stood up dramatically, her figure seemingly growing in size and preparing to strike Beck down. In defence Beck gave her best puppy dog eyes look. Call looked at her younger sister's eyes and groaned in defeat sitting back down.

Call took a sip of water and placed her palm on her forehead. "Beck… You're 19. You can't keep spending your whole life doing nothing without contributing back to the world."

"I am contributing to the world!" Beck argued.

"By jumping head first into a stand full of cabbages."

"That was ONE TIME!"

Call took off her suit and wrapped it around the chair before straightening her posture and looking Beck in the eye. "Do you think I enjoy waking up at 6:15 in the morning, Monday to Friday to take an hour-long train so that I can work in a Financial Guild until 4:30 so that I can take another hour-long train ride back?"

"No…" Beck sadly responded.

"But I have to because we need to, to keep living the way we do. Especially after the damages caused by the war."

Call sighed again. She couldn't even count the number of people who have came to her in the last few months asking for payments from their insurance or asking for loans to help repay damages after the Alvarez Empire invaded the kingdom from all four sides. People in Magnolia and Hargeon especially needing money to rebuild. Not only that but considering the government taxes put in place to also provide funding for repairs… saying money was important at the moment was an understatement.

"It took a lot of time to set that up and I doubt you'll get another chance to get a good job any time soon."

"So, what now?" Beck asked sincerely.

"Now… we just keep going and hope that the next time a window of opportunity opens, you won't fall asleep." Call yawned and left the kitchen. "I'm heading up. Some of us have an early start tomorrow."

"Hey wait!" Beck called out, catching up to Call. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on the train… I'm really, really sorry Call."

Call smiled and wrapped her arms around her sister to hug her once more. "I know you are. Good night." Call let go of her sister and walked up a flight of stairs to the next level of her house.

"Good night." Beck walked back into the kitchen and sat back down on a chair. She sighed to herself before promptly slamming her face on the dining table. "Why couldn't one of you guys just say yes?"

* * *

"Aaa~nd done!" Percy's finger dimmed as he fell on his side in exhaustion. "Finall~y!"

The owner of the house Percy was enchanting walked in to see him on his side. "Finally finished are you. I know today's been eventful but I have to admit I thought that you would have finished before night."

"I'm sorry. I had an eventful break…"

"It's quite alright young man. How about you stay the night, I insist."

Percy slowly got to his feet and yawned. "Thank… You..."

Percy proceeded to follow the man to one of his spare bedroom's where Percy took off his brown shoes and fell on his front over the soft covers. Turning over onto his back before he got too comfy, he reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a communication lacrima, turning it on.

"Let's see. My next job is…" Percy used his thumb to rub the screen and see what jobs he had to do when he paused and adjusted his glasses. "Nothing. I… I'm free at the moment."

As he put his lacrima away he accidently made the card he received from Beck fall out and land on the floor. Hearing it land Percy bent over and picked it up as he stared at the information written on it, along with a peculiar drawing of a blue furry head with blank circles for eyes.

"Being in a mage guild, just like my brother huh?" Percy shook his head. "Oh, who am I kidding I'm not cut out for that. No thank you. Too busy trying to not get myself in any life-threatening scenarios. Nuh-uh." Percy went to put the card back in his blazer pocket when he decided to look at it once again the words Beck said coming back to him.

_"But that's exactly why we need to stick together. To keep making this kingdom a better place. To find and bring more Cryptid's so that they can make the kingdom a better place and then keep going and going until eventually we can make everyone right. So, who's with me?!"_

"…" Percy stayed silent as he remained mesmerised by the card and his memories of the day he's had. The boring tiring day of his security job… and the excitement and odd satisfaction that came from pretending to be a guild mage.

* * *

The whistling of a boiling kettle whistled through Kurt's own home. Waiting patiently for the water to finish heating up Kurt walked over to his house's fireplace and began placing logs inside it.

"There is a certain irony of me needing to light myself a log fire after the day I've had. Too bad I'm too cold to care. Brr~"

Getting up after placing the last log, Kurt's eyes gravitated to a certain frame over the fireplace showcasing five people. Three young men in their twenties and one woman in her twenties. Kurt picked up the frame and placed his thumb over one of the young men, a man with blonde hair and brown eyes that had a smile on his face that made it look like he had everything in the world.

"I have to admit that today did bring back some good memories. But I can't just start another guild, not now." Kurt placed the frame back down and walked towards the kitchen before pausing and turning back around. "Right?"

His eyes were unable to leave the sight of the picture. Even when the kettle had finished boiling for several minutes.

* * *

The full moon illuminated the planet with its light. Reflected from the sun itself to provide vision in the darkest of nights, though unfortunately not any of the sun's heat.

Tai crossed his arms over his chest as he shivered in the cold. His teeth chattered and his breath became misted, floating in front of his face.

"Dammit… screw the c-c-c-cold…"

Walking step by step Tai suddenly came to a stop at a familiar sight. A familiar bench where two strangers were about to share a meal before ash rained from the sky. Taking several more steps forward Tai made his way to the bench and lied down on top of it, deciding that this would be the place for his replacement bed. His breath continued to rise and fall with his chest, the chill of the night air making every hair stand on end and all the while he couldn't stop thinking of _her_.

_Beck sighed. "If you really need to go, then go but… I want to help because it's what I do. I like to help; I'm not looking down on you."_

_"Well I think that's really noble Tai. You're a really great guy and you deserve better, so when this is over let me help you. Not out of pity but out of kindness, what do you say?" Beck happily asked._

_"So, I… I guess it's just you and me then Tai. Right Tai?"_

Tai gritted his chattering teeth as he stared up at the night sky. "…I really freaking hate handouts…"

* * *

In a dark alley somewhere in the city cast in the darkness thicker than any shadow could provide, Zed and Leben sat on the ground next to each other.

"Well today couldn't have gone much worse." Zed groaned, removing his black choker and rubbing his sore throat.

"I fail to see the issue. We have completed our objective and kept our actions seen to a minimum." Leben reasoned.

"That's not it. We got caught out! I should have the advantage against Black magic users but against his will I was powerless… I only served to get in your way."

"That scenario only occurred because you were assisting in an individual's survival. In a future confrontation-"

"In a future confrontation I may not live long enough to help someone else." Zed interrupted seriously.

Leben tilted her head. "You are frustrated? That is unlike your previously predetermined behaviour Father."

Zed looked up towards the night time sky. "Four years I've been doing this Leben and it doesn't get any easier. It's getting harder to find Black magic users perhaps that's a good thing but then again… There's a Dark Guild out there Leben. One that no one else has ever heard of before. Nanatsu no Taizai. I can handle Black magic users but an entire dark guild… I don't know if I can keep doing what I am doing alone."

"But you are not alone. You have me." Leben corrected.

For the first time Zed showed a small smile. "Yes Leben. I suppose I do."

"However, if it is accompaniment that you desire at this time, there is one place we can go. One place so insignificant and private that to most of the kingdom it doesn't actually exist. A place that technically does not exist."

Zed took a deep breath. "I suppose… that is true."

"So Father… what she we do now?"

"We rest Leben and make our move in the morning. Until then I suppose what we always do when we have to pass the time." Zed reached behind a dumpster to retrieve a hidden item, a rough looking travel chessboard.

Unfolding it in front of them Zed set the game up. "I suppose you wish to be White again."

Leben nodded. "I do."

"Very well."

Zed pushed the board forward so that it was in-between the two of them. "It's your move."

Leben moved her first pawn, followed by Zed doing the same. Leben moving another pawn and Zed moving a knight. As above them all six cryptids lay in wait under the same mystery of the night time sky. Waiting for their chance to show the world who they are under revealing light.

* * *

**And so the first major conflict of the story has come to a close. Now all six of the characters have had a chance to show their stuff and reveal their true colours. Did any of you see that twist with Leben coming?**

**I hope that these first two chapters have given you a taste of what this story will bring as the arc continues next time.**

**Until then this is Kallerston signing out!**


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